At First Sight
by Noa-Pearl
Summary: His gorgeous eyes. Her dazzling smile. - The life of Catherine Willows and Lou Vartann. - The final chapter is there!
1. Grissom Versus the Volcano

_Summary: The life of Catherine Willows and Tony Vartann. How did it all start?  
__Note: So, I know you all assume that Catherine and Vartann's not-yet-confirmed-relationship-though-we-all-know-they're-in-love started halfway through season ten. In this story, I'm going to prove you all wrong ;-). I honestly love Catherine and Vartann together, and I hope this story will show that as well. Vartann appeared for the first time in season four's Grissom Versus the Volcano, and that's where this story starts. Please enjoy! xx._

**1. Grissom Versus the Volcano. **

Catherine immediately spotted the detective that was talking to Sara in the hallway of the police department. She'd never seen him before. Catherine was pretty certain of that, since she was positive that she would've remembered a detective like him. He was extremely good-looking. But his eyes were what intrigued her the most. His eyes seemed to be grey, blue and green at the same time, they were bright and gorgeous. The man was passionately talking about something, which Catherine assumed was the case. She couldn't help but stare at the man though. She tried to read the file about her current case –some weirdo who'd placed a bomb in a car,- but she kept glancing over her case file to search for the detective. After a couple of times, she realised she hadn't read a single line of her file yet. And when she looked up again for about the tenth time in less than two minutes, a pair of green eyes stared right back into hers. Catherine realised that Sara was nowhere to be found, and that the detective was simply standing at the same place as where he'd been, but instead of talking to Sara, he was now looking at her. He offered her a small –but cute, she had to add,- smile and then walked away with his phone next to his ear. Catherine kept staring at the spot where the detective had been standing for a couple of seconds after he'd walked away. She was curious to find out who exactly that detective was. She knew she had to figure that out a little later; for now, she needed to focus on a certain idiot who'd placed a bomb in a car.

Later that night, Catherine walked bye the interrogation rooms. She again spotted the handsome detective that was inside with Sara and Warrick. He was standing, and Catherine looked at him for a while. He sometimes opened his mouth to say something, but left most of the talking to Sara and Warrick. Just when she wanted to walk along, the detective's eyes met hers. He didn't smile at her this time, but she could tell that he didn't mind the fact that she was looking at him. Not at all. Catherine gave him a smile before walking towards Grissom's office to discuss their case.

* * *

Catherine was exhausted when she was able to go home. She grabbed her purse out of her locker and looked at her cell phone, where she found a message from Lindsey. While she read it, she walked out of the locker room, not expecting to meet another person in the hallway. As soon as she turned around the corner though, she bumped into someone. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you…". Catherine stopped talking halfway through her sentence when she realised she was staring into the pretty eyes of the detective she had seen a couple of times that day. She smiled immediately and couldn't help but say in a flirtatious way: "We seem to see each other a lot today, don't we?"

The detective smiled back and said: "Apparently, we do. You shouldn't walk 'round the hallways like that though," he said, pointing at the cell phone she was holding, "you could hurt yourself."

She knew that he was making sort of a joke and said: "I think I'll be fine."

"I bet you will."

Catherine smiled again and said: "So, you're new here I guess, I've never seen you here before."

The detective nodded. "Yeah, I just transferred from Nevada. Lou Vartann."

He held out his hand, and Catherine placed her soft hand in his when she said: "I'm Catherine Willows."

Vartann already knew who she was, but didn't say anything about that. He just shook her delicate, soft hand and nodded. Catherine looked at her watch and than said: " Well, I have to go. My daughter's waiting for me. But it was nice to meet you, detective Vartann."

"It was nice meeting you too."

The smile the detective gave her this time almost made Catherine weak in her knees. He was incredibly handsome, and his smile was incredible. She flashed him a smile as well, and prayed that it looked the way she wanted it to look when she said: " I'll see you around, I guess."

He nodded and said: "I'm sure about that. Have a nice day."

Catherine gave him one last smile before she continued to walk down the hallway, heading for the exit. The handsome detective looked after the redhead. He couldn't help but smile. Lou Vartann had to admit that he wasn't quickly impressed by a woman. The redhead had been able to impress him though. He already knew who she was; Catherine Willows was well known by almost every man in the police department. He had just started working as a detective in Las Vegas. His new co-workers had told him things about the people working in the Las Vegas department, and they hadn't said a word too much about the redheaded woman; she definitely was sexy. But Lou immediately had the feeling that she was more than sexy. Something about her made him smile, and it wasn't just her flirty way of talking or her at first sight extremely good looking body or her beautiful eyes or her dazzling smile. There was more about her than that. And Lou hoped that he would be able to figure that out some time soon.

_Note: Liked it, hated it? I know it's not the best thing I've ever written, but I do hope you enjoyed it. Let me know! xxx._


	2. Eleven Angry Jurors

_Note: Hi guys, I just wanted to say a big thank you to those who have reviewed the first chapter. I was so glad to read both of your positive thoughts about this story! Here's the next chapter, set during season's four episode "Eleven Angry Jurors". Enjoy! xx._

**2. Eleven Angry Jurors. **

Detective Vartann walked to the front counter in the hallway, where he knew he could find Nick Stokes. He had a woman in the interrogation room, the sister of a woman –Rita- who'd disappeared four years ago. Grissom and Nick had worked that case back then. The sister, Faye, now claimed that Rita was murdered back in the days. Vartann had hoped that he would've been able to work with Catherine on this case as well, but unfortunately for him, she was already assigned to another case. He hoped he would bump into Catherine though; he hadn't seen her since their meeting in the hallways about a week ago.

Meanwhile, Catherine was looking somewhat bewildered through the courtroom she was in. The people in the room were all pissed and annoyed, and the murder that had taken place in that room seemed impossible to solve. Catherine had hoped that detective Vartann was the detective on her scene today. Unfortunately, he wasn't. Catherine almost hated it to admit it to herself, but every day she went to work, she hoped that she would bump into the handsome detective. After their meeting in the hallway last week, she'd been able to get some information about the man from different people in the lab. Some described him as a passionate worker. Other, mostly women, described him as handsome and determined in his job. Most of the people she'd talked to agreed on the fact that he was somewhat arrogant as well. It intrigued her even more, and after that, she'd even been looking forward more to meeting him again. Catherine knew she had to work now though. She looked at the people and somewhat yelled: "Excuse me?" 

* * *

Detective Vartann nodded and held up his hand for a split second after he'd dropped Nick off at the police department. They had solved the case and his shift was over. And he was hungry. He knew he could be a healthy man and prepare a decent meal at his house, but the urge to grab something to go was bigger. That was why he drove to a small diner on the Strip instead of his own place. He already knew what he was going to order; no matter how much time he spent in the gym, the healthy diet he always wanted to follow wasn't a routine for him yet; he was a well-known guest in the diner. After he placed his order, he walked a little further into the diner to find his favourite seat; the one where he could see the city lights the best. He was surprised when he saw that 'his' seat was taken; it wasn't very busy in the restaurant, so it was a coincidence that the seat he liked the most was taken. His mouth fell open when he saw who was sitting at the table.

"Catherine?"

Catherine turned around when she heard someone mention her name, and her heart almost dropped out of surprise when she found Vartann standing next to her table. His bright smile made her smile and she said: "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"I ordered something to eat… I usually sit at this spot," He said, pointing at the seat she was currently sitting in. Catherine smiled and said: "You can join, if you like. My food's going to be here in a couple of minutes I think."

Vartann gladly accepted the offer and flashed her another smile. She smiled back, but Vartann noticed how tired she looked behind that gorgeous smile. "I heard about your case. A bee, huh? Never thought that a bee would once be a murderer."

A little chuckle escaped from Catherine's lips. "I know, it's insane! I heard you were working with Nick."

He nodded. "Yeah, that was a strange case as well. I'm glad shift's over though."

Catherine nodded. "So am I. Don't you have to go home though? There must be people waiting for you?" She couldn't help but ask him that question. She hadn't found out yet if the detective was married, and this seemed the perfect way to find out a little more about him.

Catherine had to admit that she was relieved when Vartann shook his head and said: "No, there aren't. I'm divorced, and my ex is still living in Tucson, with our son."

Catherine smiled when she heard him say that he had a son and asked: "You have a son, how old is he?"

Vartann smiled when he talked about his son. "Alex is eleven. He reminds me of how I was when I was his age… He loves football, loves playing outside.. He's an amazing kind."

Catherine nodded and said: "You must miss him."

Vartann nodded and was about to say something when the waitress interrupted them with their food. They thanked their waitress, and instead of finishing his sentence, Vartann just nodded and took a bite of his food. After a couple of quiet seconds, he said: "How old is your daughter?"

Catherine smiled. "She's ten. And she's a lot like me as well."

The two smiled at each other and before they knew it, they had been sitting in the diner for over an hour. They had been talking about their job, most of the time. Catherine had been able to figure out that his first name was Lou though, and that he had a dog named Sam. Both had been enjoying the other's company. Catherine had to go home though; she couldn't leave the babysitter any longer at her place, and besides, she wanted to see her daughter a little while before she had to go to school. That was why she said: "Lou, I really enjoyed this… But I really have to go, Lindsey's home and I'd like to see her for a little while before she goes to school.

Lou smiled and said: "I understand, that's fine. I enjoyed this as well."

After paying the check –Lou had insisted on paying for both of them,- the two said their goodbyes. And while Lou watched Catherine walk to her car, he realised for about the fiftieth time that hour how gorgeous she was. He hoped that, later that week, he would finally be able to work a case with Catherine. He started to like her more and more… And more.

_Note: Liked it? That button's below here somewhere, please let me know! xx._


	3. XX

_Note: hi! First of all, thanks so much to those who reviewed or/and subscribed to story alert, it means so much to me to know you guys like this! Here's a new chapter, set during season four's XX. Please enjoy, xx._

**3. XX**

Vartann looked at the man –who was about a nine year old mentally- and said: "Listen to me. Frank will be facing charges of obstructing justice. Do you understand? The court will appoint you another guardian."

Zero couldn't handle that and yelled: "No, I don't want another guardian. I want Frank!" His desperate eyes focused and Warrick. Warrick felt so bad for the boy, and whispered: "I'm sorry."

Warrick's eyes went from Zero to Vartann, and Vartann could tell Warrick felt terrible. He got up though; he knew there wasn't anything else they could do to help Zero. It didn't make him feel less bad though; cases like these where the toughest. After Vartann got out of the interrogation room, he rubbed his eyes. His shift was over, and it was time for him to go home. He was somewhat disappointed though by the fact that he hadn't spotted Catherine yet. It had been a couple of weeks since his last shift with the graveyard. And, even though he wished it had been different, he hadn't talked to Catherine either those weeks. He decided that the best he could do was go home though; running into Catherine probably wasn't a big possibility.

Just when he was on his way to his locker though, he spotted her standing in the break room with a cup of coffee in her hand. She spotted him immediately, and waved for him to come see her.

While Vartann walked to Catherine in the break room, a smile appeared on her face. She hadn't seen him for weeks now. So many things had happened since them, and, when she was honest with herself, she had to admit that she had missed Vartann. After their meal and talk a couple of weeks ago, she had again realised what a great person he was. Not only did he look handsome, he was also a very nice man to hang out with. When Vartann was inside the room, she smiled at him and said: "Hey! Where have you been lately?"

Lou smiled back, and while thinking about how good she looked in her black top he said: "I worked days a lot lately, it's been a while since I've been doing nights."

"Well, it's nice to see you again, it's been so long."

Lou wanted to reply when Catherine's phone rang. She apologized before picking it up. She listened to the person on the other end of the phone for a while and then said: "I'll be there in a second," before ending the conversation again. She then turned back to Lou and said: "I'm sorry, there's a development in my case.. I have to go."

Lou couldn't hide his disappointment when she said that; he had hoped she had finished her case as well. Instead of letting her go without knowing when he would see her again, he said: "Maybe we can meet for coffee after your shift?"

Lou hoped he didn't sound too desperate when he said that. He was glad when he saw Catherine smile and heard her say: "Sure, that would be nice. I think I'll be back her in an hour."

Lou nodded and said: "Okay, we'll meet here then?"

Catherine nodded before smiling once more at him, and then she quickly hurried to meet up with Nick.

* * *

Catherine arrived back at the police department a little earlier than planned. Instead of immediately searching for Lou, she decided to get to her locker and clean herself up a little bit. A lot of things had happened in the last couple of weeks in which she hadn't seen Lou. Chris was one of them. She'd met Chris during one of her cases a couple of weeks ago. The physical attraction that she immediately felt when she was around him was hard to deny. Apparently, he had felt the same way about her. She started seeing him immediately after the case had been closed. Catherine had to admit though that she wasn't sure if it was love what she felt. But she did know that it felt nice to have someone around that was able to kiss her, hold her and make love with. Even if it perhaps wasn't making love. So far, things between her and Chris had been great though. But she had to admit that, since she'd seen Lou again today, doubts had started to raise in her mind again. There was something about that man that made her knees go weak as soon as he walked into a room. And she was perfectly aware of the fact that that wasn't a very good sign when she was actually seeing someone else. Just when she wanted to close her locker and get out of the room, her phone rang. Catherine saw on her caller-id that it was Chris, and answered the phone with: "I was just thinking about you."

Meanwhile, Vartann walked through the building. After he'd spent almost an hour on doing things that he usually passed to other people, it was almost time to meet up with Catherine for their coffee. He was looking forward to it. When he walked to the locker room, he immediately recognized the high, colourful laugh of Catherine. Vartann was curious of who she was talking to, and instead of walking in immediately, he waited.

He heard her say: "I'm sorry honey, but I kind of had arrangements made with someone else."

After a couple of seconds, he heard her reply: "Don't be jealous, it's just coffee!"

And finally, after a little longer, Catherine said: "Fine, I'll come to your place if that's what you want. I'll see you in a bit, okay? I love you."

Lou's heart broke when he heard her say those last words. He'd hoped, after hearing the first sentence, that she was talking to her daughter. After the second, he wasn't sure what he was hoping for. And after the third, he was perfectly aware of the fact that it was someone else she was talking to. He hadn't that much time to think about that though; he heard stumbling in the locker room, and he knew Catherine could come out any second. Instead of walking in the locker room, Vartann walked to the other side of the building. When he turned around the corner, his phone started beeping. He had a text message from Catherine, that said: _**Hey, something came up, I'm sorry. Coffee next time? x Cath.**_Lou was disappointed; apparently, he wasn't even worth a call. But he wouldn't let Catherine know that he was that disappointed. He texted back that they would meet up some other time, and then decided that it really was time to go home.

Five minutes after Catherine had received Lou's reply, she sat down in her car. She felt bad about cancelling her appointment with Lou; she'd really been looking forward to finally talking to him again. But Chris had sounded pretty pissed when she'd told him she would meet up with a male friend. And that was why she'd cancelled her appointment. But she hadn't done that with a lot of pleasure. When she started her car and started driving towards Chris' apartment, she realised that her feelings were somewhat off. Why was she somewhat annoyed with going to her boyfriend instead of just a male friend? Wasn't she supposed to be happy to see her boyfriend after almost two days without him?

_Note: Button's below... xxx._


	4. Dead Ringer

_Note: Hi all, next chapter! I really want to thank those who reviewed the last chapter. I'm so glad you all liked it, and I'm definitely looking forward to writing about Weeping Willows as well ;-). Just have to wait a little while for that though. Here's the fourth chapter, set during season four's "Dead Ringer". Please enjoy!_

**4. Dead Ringer**

Catherine looked at the interrogation room in which Vartann and Sara were currently questioning the wife of the deceased man. She knew she wasn't supposed to watch the interrogation; she had absolutely nothing to do with the case. But she'd missed him. After she'd cancelled their appointment two weeks ago, she hadn't heard from him. She'd sent him another text message two days ago, but he hadn't answered to that. She wondered what was going on, and she figured that the only way to find that out, was to meet him at work. And since they'd been on different cases again, the only way to see him was to basically jump at him as soon as he was alone.

As soon as Catherine saw Sara had left the room and that the cops had brought the woman away, she jumped into the room were Vartann was picking up his last couple of files. He obviously didn't hear her coming in. That was why she, after admiring his posture for a split second, cleared her throat and said: "Hey."

Lou knew before turning around that it was Catherine greeting him. He had been avoiding her since he'd figured out she was seeing someone. It wasn't that he blamed her for being with someone; it would've surprised him if she wasn't. But Lou enjoyed Catherine's company more than he should when she was just a friend. He knew he could fall in love with Catherine easily; if he was honest, he knew he already had. And the more time he would spent with Catherine, the more he would love her. He didn't want to hurt himself like that. But apparently, Catherine hadn't noticed any of that. He took a deep breath and turned around and said: "Hi. I didn't hear you come in." Lou took a couple of seconds to look at her; she looked as gorgeous as usual. Her blue jacket and pants were in perfect contrast with her red hair. She looked incredible.

He saw an apologetic smile on her face when she said: "I'm sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I just… You haven't answered to my text message yet and I was just wondering what was going on."

Lou saw a somewhat insecure look on Catherine's face; something he wasn't used to. Apparently, she hád been having the idea that something was wrong. He immediately regretted not replying to her message and said: "I'm sorry, I've been really busy.. I guess I just forgot."

Catherine nodded, but didn't seem to buy his story. Lou cleared his throat, and Catherine had the idea that he was somewhat nervous. That was why she said: "Well… Do you want to come 'round after you're finished with your case? Then we can catch up a little bit."

Lou looked at Catherine, knowing that what he wanted most was saying yes and spent time with her. He was afraid of the consequences though. But her, standing in front of him, asking him to meet up; he couldn't say no to that. That was why he said: "Yeah, sure. I'll just have to finish a couple of things."

Catherine smiled and said: "Well, I'll see you when you're finished. I'll text you my address."

* * *

Almost an hour later, Lou stood in front of Catherine's house with millions of doubts. He'd been sitting in his car for almost five minutes, deciding whether he should get inside or leave and call her with a lame excuse. Finally, he decided to get out of his car and go inside. He didn't have to stay that long; he could leave if things would get too difficult. That was what he was telling himself when he walked to her front door and rang her doorbell.

The first thing he noticed when she opened the door, was that she'd changed her clothes. Her work clothes were replaced bye a pair of formfitting jeans and a simple black top. She looked good. "Hey!"

Catherine stepped aside to let him in, and when Lou passed her she could smell his cologne. He smelled good. They walked to her living room and Catherine said: "You want a drink? I'd just put up some coffee."

Lou smiled and said: "Coffee's fine, thank you." He sat down on the couch while Catherine walked to her kitchen. While she was pouring their drinks, he had some time to look at her house. It was nice, light and feminine. The wall was filled with a couple of photographs from her daughter and her friends. He immediately felt good in the place, though he still felt somewhat insecure about being with alone with Catherine. After a couple of minutes, Catherine walked into the living room again with the coffee cups and put them at the little table in front of the couch. Instead of sitting in one of the chair near the couch, she sat down at the couch next to him. Lou immediately felt his heartbeat get faster; he hated what an effect she had on him.

Catherine smiled at Lou and said: "Do you want something to eat? I can make something, if you like."

He shook his head and said: "No, I'm fine, but thanks. Your house is great, it really looks nice."

Catherine smiled again. "Thanks." Catherine looked into his eyes for a split second and all she could think about was how much she loved those eyes. She immediately felt bad about thinking that though; she was with Chris now. Lou still seemed different though.

After a couple of minutes filled with small talk, Catherine couldn't ignore the tension anymore that she was feeling between her and Lou. Suddenly, she interrupted his current sentence and said: "Lou… What's going on?"

A puzzled look appeared on his face and he replied: "What do you mean, what's going on?"

"You know what I mean! After I cancelled our appointment a couple of weeks ago I have this feeling that you're…. I don't know what exactly you are, but you seem more distant. I feel there's a tension between us that wasn't there before, and I want it to go away again, but I'm not sure how I can do it.."

Lou looked into those pretty blue eyes that were so close to him, and suddenly, something inside him started to panic. Catherine hád noticed that things were different between them. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. Apparently, he was taking too long for Catherine's liking. She put his hand on his arm, and Lou almost felt an electric shock going through his body as soon as her skin came in contact with his. "Lou… You can tell me what's going on, you know that, right?"

Her concerned blue eyes looked at him, and suddenly, Lou stood up. "Catherine… I… I'm sorry. I think I should go."

Confusion was written all over Catherine's face when she got up as well and said: "What do you mean, you have to go?"

Lou ran a hand through his hair and sighed out of frustration –mainly with himself,- before he said: "It was a bad idea coming here… I'm sorry."

Lou wanted to walk away, but Catherine grabbed his hand what made him turn around and said: "Why? You're really confusing me now…"

Before Lou actually knew what he was saying, he said: "Perhaps you should just go and meet up with your boyfriend instead of me. I'll see you at work, Catherine."

Lou then walked out of Catherine's house, leaving a stunned Catherine behind. She wasn't sure what exactly he'd meant by what he'd just said. She hadn't told him she was seeing somebody. How had he found out about that?

As soon as Lou sat down in his car, he felt stupid. Not only had he been overreacting, he'd probably made Catherine feel bad as well. He felt like an ass. But he didn't dare to go back into the house. Instead of doing that, he drove back to his place, knowing that Catherine would probably on his mind the rest of the day.

_Note: Liked it, hated it? Let me know! And, don't worry, things will be better between those two very soon ;-). xxx._


	5. Bloodlines

_Note: Hi all, thanks again for the reviews! I finished writing this chapter pretty fast after the last one so I decided to post it today instead of waiting a little longer. I really hope you like it! It's set after the season four season's finale, Bloodlines. xx. _

**5. Bloodlines. **

Catherine walked into the room were Linley Parker was currently sitting with a forensic artist. The woman looked terrible. Catherine couldn't imagine what Linley was currently feeling; she was raped, humiliated and hurt terribly. Yet, Linley was able to give a perfect description of the man who'd done that. Catherine admired her strength. She watched from the side as the forensic artist said: "Now, close your eyes, and tell me everything up until the time he raped you."

Linley closed her eyes, playing back all the events that had happened the night before. The forensic artist held up the composite of the man she'd been making in front of Linley and said: "Open your eyes."

Linley opened her eyes, and looked at the drawing. Catherine immediately knew what happened as soon as Linley opened her mouth; she threw up.

Catherine closed her eyes briefly; Linley's case upset her more than cases usual did. Instead of staying in the room though, she decided to get out and walked as quickly as possible to the locker room. She didn't look around; all she did was walk, until she had reached the locker room and slammed the door shut. She sat down at the bench in the locker room. Catherine had no clue why Linley's case was getting to her the way it did. Of course, what had happened to Linley was terrible. But Catherine had seen it all before.

What Catherine hadn't noticed was the surprised detective standing in one of the rooms she'd quickly passed. It was the first time Lou had seen Catherine in almost three weeks; he hadn't talked to her since his sudden departure at his house. He'd tried calling her that same night but –as he had expected,- she didn't answer his calls. Lou had asked himself multiple times in the last couple of weeks why he felt so terrible about his behaviour towards Catherine. They had known each other for a couple of months now and they hadn't interacted thát much… But yet he felt like Catherine was one of the most important people in his world. He thought it was somewhat ironic though that they'd been fighting that much already, but he didn't want to give up being her friend –though he wished it would be more,-.

Lou started walking to the locker room, knowing that Catherine would probably kick him out immediately or walk out of it herself. He could tell though that something was wrong, and he didn't like seeing her upset. When he reached the door of the locker room, he didn't knock. He instead walked into the room and locked the door behind him.

Catherine immediately looked up when she heard someone walk into the room. She tried to hide the fact that she'd been close to crying, but as soon as she saw that Lou was standing in the room, she stood up. She had ignored him ever since his sudden burst-out at her place. She wasn't sure what had made him so upset, and though he had started to mean a lot to her in those few months they'd spent together, she didn't like the way he'd acted. Catherine wanted to walk away, but Lou gently grabbed her arm though, and softly said: "I saw you walking bye… You seem upset."

Catherine turned her face so she was facing Lou and said: "You care?"

"Obviously enough to follow you." Lou simply replied. He wasn't sure what the look in Catherine's eyes meant. They looked cold, yet sad and somewhat surprised. Catherine closed her eyes briefly before opening them and replying: "I appreciate the concern but I'm not sure if I want to talk to you. Let me go, please."

"Catherine, listen… I'm sorry about the way I behaved. It was childish and stupid and I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry. Look, I know that we haven't known each other that long. But you do mean a lot to me and I don't want us to keep on fighting over something stupid I said. I can see you're upset and I want to help you." Lou was still holding on to Catherine's hand; their bodies were almost touching and he could smell the shampoo she'd probably been using that day.

Catherine looked into his pretty eyes, that looked concerned and sweet and she suddenly had the urge to kiss him. She shook that thought off immediately after it came though, but a little voice in her head kept repeating the question whether he was a good kisser or not. Catherine sighed and said: "It's just a bad case. It really gets to me and I wish it wouldn't."

Lou smiled at her and said: "Don't we all have that once in a while?"

Catherine nodded. "I guess. It's just.. I'm not used to… I don't know, feeling like this. I don't think I've ever felt like this."

Lou looked into Catherine's sad, blue eyes, and could tell tears were almost forming. He could sense there was something more wrong, but he decided not to push it. Instead, he loosened his grip on her and –surprising himself as well,- pulled her in for a hug.

Catherine was surprised when she suddenly felt Lou's strong arms –he obviously exercised,- around her. She was pleased with how comfortable and how natural it felt to be in them. She rested her head in his chest for a couple of seconds, smelling his pleasant aftershave mixed with a scent that could only be described as Lou's scent. Catherine felt safe in his arms. Suddenly Chris flashed through her mind; and suddenly, she felt as if what she was doing was wrong. She broke the embrace and looked at Tony with a smile. "Thanks… I could really use that."

"You're welcome."

There was an somewhat uncomfortable silence for a while until Catherine said: "You know… I still want to know what happened that night when you suddenly left."

Lou knew she had the right to know. He was afraid she would ignore him as soon as he'd told her why he'd overreacted though. He took a couple of seconds to look at Catherine. She still looked sad, but yet she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He ran a hand through his hair before saying: "Catherine… I want to tell you. I just… I don't know if it's a good idea. I don't want it to ruin the way things are."

Catherine chuckled and said: "Well, things were bad anyway until.. Well, two minutes ago. You can tell me everything."

Vartann walked to the bench and sat down on it. It took Catherine only seconds to do that same thing and sit down next to him. She smiled and said: "Tell me. You don't think I'll let you get away with storming out of my house for nothing, do you?"

Lou gave her a small smile before sighing. Eventually, he started talking after a couple of seconds in silence. "You know, I have this feeling, when I'm around you. When I'm with you, I feel like that's the way life is supposed to be. I feel good, I feel comfortable.. And I know I'm not supposed to do that because I know you're seeing someone, but I can't help it. When I look at you I see the most beautiful woman in the world."

Lou stopped talking for a second to look at Catherine's face. He didn't quite know what he expected to see on her face, but definitely not what he saw. Catherine looked as if she was somewhat enchanted by his words and said: "You heard me talk on the phone that day I cancelled our appointment, didn't you?"

Lou nodded and said: "I know I should've answered your message then, but I was disappointed I guess. I know I've known you for a short time, but it feels so good when you're with me. And it just… Kinda sucks to know you don't feel that way about me. I'm a tough guy, I'll manage, but.. I just… It sucks."

Catherine listened to him, and all she wanted to say was that she agreed with him. That she loved spending time with him. That she loved seeing him. That she felt so good when she was with him. She could tell though that he wanted to continue his rant. Before he was able to do that though, she put her index finger on his lips.

At the moment Catherine's hand touched his lips, he stopped talking. His mouth hung open just a little bit and all he could do was stare at Catherine, who said: "Stop talking. I… I like you. I like being with you. I just… God…" Catherine was staring into Lou's eyes and the urge to kiss him became bigger and bigger every second. It was as if there was some sort of magic spell that connected the two of them. Catherine knew she was doing the wrong thing when she moved closer to Lou. She could hear his breaths getting heavier, and she knew he was sensing the same thing happening to her. Their lips moved closer and closer, and the moment their lips were almost touching, a loud bang was heard throughout the entire locker room. Something had obviously hit something in the building.

Catherine moved away immediately, realising that what she was doing was wrong. She didn't dare looking into Lou's eyes when she said: "I'm sorry.. I have to go. Chris.. I… We… I'm not sure what's going on right now. We'll talk later, okay?"

Within seconds, Catherine was out of the locker room. Lou was left with surprise, and kept staring at the spot were Catherine had been sitting a second ago. He suddenly felt less desperate though. It had been obvious that Catherine wasn't unaffected by his actions. It seemed as if Catherine liked him more than she should. And Lou was definitely planning on making sure that Catherine would admit that to both of them as well.

_Note: Yeah, I know you all hoped for that kiss ;-). You just have to wait a little longer. Please let me know if you liked it! xx. _


	6. Viva Las Vegas

_Note: Sooo, here it is, the long-awaited chapter including scenes from Viva Las Vegas. Please enjoy, I really hope it lives up to all your expectations! xx. _

**6. Viva Las Vegas**

As soon as Catherine walked into the hotel room at the Palermo, she noticed Vartann standing in the room. She hadn't known he was working this case. After their interaction a couple of days ago, they had been acting towards each other as if nothing had happened. Catherine tried to tell herself that she loved Chris. Yet, every time she saw Lou, it felt as if her body was on fire. And this time was no exception. Lou noticed her as well, and walked over.

Lou noticed it immediately when Catherine walked into the bedroom; she looked gorgeous. She looked ready to work a crime scene, but she still managed to look like the most gorgeous woman on earth. He walked over to her and said: "Hey."

Catherine gave him a smile and said: "Hey". Their arms brushed briefly while they exchanged their greetings and both felt a little shock going through their body. They both knew they needed to work; yet, both couldn't deny what the other was doing to them.

Lou decided to start about the case though; after all, they had a job to do. "Housecleaning found mister Johnson passed out on the bed next to the victim. They alerted security and apparently he just came to."

Catherine smiled and said with a little sarcasm: "With the worst hangover a guy could ever have."

Lou smiled; he loved it when that small smile was spread across her face. "Yeah. He's a golf ball salesman from Ohio."

Catherine stepped closer to the bed to look at the dead woman lying on the bad. Her long, dark hair was covered in blood. "Massive haemorrhaging."

Catherine put her kitt on the floor and looked at Vartann for a couple of seconds. She couldn't help but think of how nice he looked. She knew that, if she wouldn't be focusing on her case soon, she would be totally distracted from everything she was supposed to do. "Is this from a single wound? Cracked skull. Did you I.D. her?"

"No I.D. on her."

Catherine looked a little better at the victim and said: "Well, she's got some breast implants. That's for sure." She could tell Lou wasn't sure what to answer to that statement and said no word.

Catherine moved herself so she could look at the girl's bag, and after a short look she said: "I'm going to guess stripper. She's got a locker room key. We'll trace it back to the club."

Vartann looked around and saw the alcohol in the fridge and stated: "Quite a party last night."

"You can say that again."

Catherine walked into the bathroom, where she found a big amount of blood on the wall. She also noticed the bathrobe with a blooded tip; hairs were sticking against the tip. She looked around for a second before walking back to the bedroom and looking at the girl's body again. She then said: "Looks like she went back into the bedroom to call for help."

Lou looked at the notes he'd been taking and said: "Well, no calls were made from the room."

Catherine looked around again and took a closer look at the toilet. She then noticed the urine on the floor in front of the bowl. She sighed and said: "Why is it you guys can never hit the bowl?"

Catherine's tone didn't go unnoticed by Lou; it was flirty. So was the look on her face when she looked at him. Lou shrugged and simply said: "You know, if this guy took viagra, you're lucky he hit the floor and not the ceiling."

She chuckled and gave him a small smile before she said: "Right." The eyes of the two locked for a second, and both couldn't deny the sparks in the eyes of the other. It was at that moment that Catherine started realizing that being with Lou without constantly remembering how much she liked him, would be harder than she'd planned. 

* * *

Chris smiled a bit surprised when he noticed Catherine was walking towards him and said: "Hey."

"Hey."

Chris stepped closer and said: "You should've told me you were coming down." He then kissed her lips before adding: "What's going on?"

Catherine took a moment to look at Chris; he was so sweet. She knew she loved him. She really did. Didn't she? "I'm checking out an alibi. Was this guy in here last night?" Catherine showed him the ID of her suspect. Chris took a moment to look at the picture.

Catherine smiled at Chris when he said: "Yeah, he was, uh, belligerent, drunk… He was groping every waitress in the place. We sent him over to the strip joint next-door. It was  
more his speed." As Chris was talking, Catherine remembered again why she liked him; he was so down to earth, so normal. She got distracted when her phone rang. She checked the message and Chris said: "You're busy. Am I going to see you tonight?"

Catherine smiled and said: "I'm working late," knowing Chris would answer that with his usual 'me too'. She was right, and after a nod and another smile, she left.

When she left the Acid Drop and walked to her car, Catherine realised she was torn. She was torn between loving the man she was supposed to love and loving a man she didn't even know that well. Catherine knew she had to invest in her relationship with Chris. She kept telling herself that she wasn't dating Chris for no reason; she liked him more than she liked any other man. But her heart kept telling her there was a certain mister Vartann she could love much, much more than she could ever love Chris.

* * *

It was later that night when Catherine walked into the Acid Drop to meet with Chris as she had promised him that afternoon. The bartender, who she'd seen that afternoon as well, waved at her and pointed to the back. She waved back, while walking to Chris' office. As soon as she opened the door, a whelm of emotions overcame. She saw Chris, with one of his waitresses on top of him. Chris stared at her for a second, before he simply said: "What do you expect? I run a nightclub."

At that moment, Catherine wanted to say so many things. She wanted to yell at him, get angry with him and tell him how terrible he was. No words were coming out of her mouth though. All she was able to do was turn around and walk away. She wanted to get out of the club as fast as she could; she felt as if she couldn't breath; as if someone was choking her. Someone had cheated on her; again. She'd thought that, after Eddie, she would notice it if a man would cheat on her. But again, she had been stupid enough to fall for the silly games a man could play. She hated herself for that. She hated the fact that she hadn't been smart enough to see through Chris' games. It felt like ages until she'd reached her car. When she was finally inside, she allowed herself to let a single tear fall from her eyes. She wasn't sure why she was so upset; she had been doubting her feelings towards Chris after all. But being cheated on felt terrible. Beside that, it brought up all the memories of her relationship with Eddie; and that definitely weren't all good things.

Catherine had to urge to call Lou. She wanted to be with someone who did enjoy her company. She knew it would be better to call Gil, or Warrick, or Nick. They were her friends as well after all, and she knew she wouldn't do anything stupid with them. Her feelings for Lou on the other hand were more than what she felt for her other male friends. She didn't want him to just be her friend, and that was probably a problem if she'd call him now. But she really wanted to see Lou. That was why she grabbed her cell phone and dialled his number. As soon as she heard him answer the phone with "Vartann," though, she hung up. She didn't want to embarrass herself. What Catherine hadn't though about though, was the number recognition on Lou's phone. Seconds later, her phone rang again and without thinking, Catherine answered it.

"Hey Catherine, it's me. You called me a couple of seconds ago. What's going on?"

Catherine wanted to tell him the truth. She wanted to see him and be with him and think about nothing but the two of them. But she couldn't do that; she didn't want Lou to think she was taking advantage of him. That was why she said: "I'm sorry, Lou, I dialled the wrong number I guess. I'll see you around." Catherine hung up before he could answer. With a deep sigh, Catherine started driving. After a couple of minutes, she found herself parked on the parking lot of the crime lab. She wasn't sure she wanted to be home right now, and now that she had her own office, she realised that that was a good place to be alone in peace. As quickly as possible, she walked to her office and fell down on her chair as soon as she was inside.

Meanwhile, Lou was thinking about Catherine's phone call. She'd sounded upset. That was why he wanted to finish his case files as soon as possible; he wanted to drive bye her house and check on her. When he was on his way out of the building though, he noticed the light burning in Catherine's office. He wondered why she was still inside; she'd finished her case almost an hour ago. Lou walked to the door and knocked on it a couple of times before getting in. He found Catherine sitting in her chair, looking at a photograph she was holding in her hand. She was wearing an amazing black tank top. It hadn't been bringing her a lot of luck though as her face looked like she'd been crying.

Lou locked the door behind him before walking over to Catherine's chair and saying: "What's going on? Don't tell me nothing 'cause I can see you've been crying." He bend his knees a little bit so his face was on the same level as Catherine's.

Catherine looked into Lou's eyes and found his beautiful multicoloured eyes staring into hers. She knew she must look terrible; yet all he did was looking at her with concern and a look that seemed pretty close to love. Catherine liked him so much. She suddenly felt so stupid for even doubting about having more feeling for Chris than she had for Lou. Her feelings towards Lou were undeniable. Instead of telling him about her breaking up with Chris, or telling him how stupid she felt, she leant in and kissed him.

As soon as their lips met, both felt as if sparks were flying all around them. Lou started swaying a little bit in his uncomfortable position, and grabbed Catherine's hand to pull both of them up.

The moment both of them stood up straight and steady, Lou's hand sneaked out to her lower back and gently pushed her a little closer to him. Catherine's placed her hands in his neck and both felt the kiss getting more intense. The first thing Catherine realised when their tongues met was how perfect it felt. The second thing was what a good kisser Lou was. And the third thing was how much better kissing Lou felt than kissing Chris had ever done. After a couple of seconds, Lou broke their kiss. He definitely didn't want to complain about Catherine kissing him; it felt perfectly fine. He wanted to make sure she was okay though.

Lou put his hand on her cheek and tried to wipe away a small strake of mascara that was on her cheek before saying: "You're sure you're okay?"

Catherine placed her own hand on the one that was currently on her cheek and said: "I'm fine. You're complaining?"

He shook his head: "No. I would never complain about you kissing me. I just… I just wondered what's going on."

Catherine sighed and softly said: "Don't worry about that. Everything's fine now you're here."

Lou could tell that Catherine wasn't planning on telling him anything about what had happened. He knew she would tell him eventually though. That was why he didn't reject her when her lips touched his again. He liked her so much. And he knew that, in a short time, he would love her as well.

_Note: And... Liked it, hated it? Please let me know, I really appreciate your feedback. Next update will take a little longer than usual since I'm gone for five days, so I hope this one will do until I'm back, ;-). xxx. _


	7. Crow's Feet

_Note: Hi folks, it's been a while, but here it is; chapter seven, set during Crow's Feet! Before you guys can start reading though, I really wanted to say a big thank you to those of you who reviewed. I really appreciate it, so very, very much, and I'm so happy to read you all enjoy it. I hope you'll enjoy this one as much as the previous ones! xx. _

**7. Crow's Feet. **

"You're sure you can't stay?"

Lou laughed while he grabbed Catherine's hands –that were currently placed on his hips, not planning on letting them go,- and tried to get them off of him. He knew she knew he had to go; duty had called. He couldn't blame her for being annoyed with it though. Catherine's hand were holding him tight, and he leant in for a quick kiss on her lips. After that, he was finally able to remove her hands and he said: "I wish I could sweetheart but I have to go, Brass will get angry if I don't."

Catherine pouted and fixed Lou's collar before she said: "Fine. But call me when you're done, okay?"

He laughed at the small pout Catherine was showing and then nodded. He gave her one last kiss before walking out of the door.

Catherine smiled after the man that just left. They were both on call that night, and Lou had been called in. After she'd found out about Chris cheating on her a week ago, Lou had been her saviour. He had been with her whenever and wherever she'd wanted him to be, and he had been able to make her tears disappear as soon as he'd started talking. He'd been able to convince her that she wás smart and that she wás beautiful enough. Catherine knew he was so much better than Chris could've ever been. While she walked upstairs to make herself ready for a shower –and a day filled with laziness because she was on call that day,- she couldn't stop thinking about Lou. He was so perfect for her.

Thirty-five minutes later, Catherine's lazy day officially ended. Brass called her; he needed her on a case. Catherine wanted to slam the phone in his face when he called her, but when he'd told her where she had to go. She was put on the same case as Lou. With her ID-card in her hand, she walked into the hotel lobby, on her way to the floor where she was supposed to be. She walked up to the officer guard standing near the crime scene tape, but, to her surprise, she was held back. "Ma'am, I'm sorry, but you can't go up."

Catherine raised her eyebrows and showed him her ID before saying: "Catherine Willows, crime lab."

The officer shook his head and said: "I know who you are, but the hotel rooms are under quarantine. No one goes up, no one goes down."

"Quarantine?" Catherine raised her eyebrows again, but this time it was out of shock. She looked at the officer and said: "What happened?"

The officer shook his head again and said: "I'm sorry ma'am, I can't tell you anything else. You have to wait here, I'll let you know when I've some news."

Catherine nodded and said a quick "Thank you," before walking to the nearest corner of the lobby where it was a little bit quiet. She immediately grabbed her cell phone and dialled Lou's number.

Meanwhile, Lou was a couple of floors up, running a hand through his hair. He wasn't quite sure of what was going on with the dead woman lying at the bed in the room his was currently in, but, according to David, it wasn't very good. They had to wait for doctor Robbins, and had to stay in the room until then. When his phone rung, he expected it to be Brass and he answered with a somewhat grumpy "Vartann." As soon as he heard Catherine's concerned voice, his mood lightened a little bit.

"Lou, it's me. What's going on, they won't let me go upstairs."

Lou sighed and said: "I'm not sure, but something's wrong with this body. She's covered with red, spotted lesions. We're not sure what exactly it is, but David suspects Ebola. We can't go down."

Lou could her a slight bit of panic in Catherine's voice when she said: "But you haven't touched her, have you? Can't you come downstairs?"

"I've already been exposed. It's too late." He sighed before continuing. "Can you get a list of all the countries she's visited in the past thirty days."

He knew Catherine would be less in panic when she was able to do something. He was relieved when he indeed heard her say: "Sure, I'll go after it. Anything else I can get you?"

"Yeah, her passport. Try the State Department."

"Okay, I'll make sure people go after that. Lou… I… Just… Just be careful, okay?"

He smiled to himself and made sure no one was able to hear him when he tried to comfort Catherine by saying: "Don't worry, I'm sure things will be fine I'll see you in a couple of minutes, okay?"

When he hung up his phone a couple of seconds later though, he knew he had to admit to himself that he definitely wasn't so sure about that.

Fifteen long, long minutes later, Catherine was finally allowed to go upstairs; it had been a false alarm. She couldn't even describe how those fifteen minutes had felt. If Lou actually hád been in danger, she knew she would've been devastated. She'd just found him, and she wasn't ready to lose him. Catherine knew she would never be. When she entered the room, she immediately spotted him. It sucked that she wasn't able to touch him, to show him how glad she was nothing was wrong. But she knew she would be able to do that soon. When Lou saw her, he simply said "Hi" and gave her a small smile. "Hey!" He motioned for her to walk into the bedroom while saying: "Go on in."

When they walked into the bedroom, their arms brushed lightly. The exchanged a small smile before Catherine turned her face to the dead woman's body on the bed.

* * *

Almost three hours later, Catherine walked into the police department. Her case was a tiny little mystery, but she hoped that some lab results would help her out a little bit. The moment she walked into the building, she spotted Lou talking to someone in the hallway. Catherine was sure he had noticed her; he had seen her the moment she had walked into the building. When she saw him standing in the hallway, in his suit, she had the urge to just jump at him and make love. That was one of the reasons why she quickly walked to her office and texted Lou to come to her office on her way.

Two minutes later, he slammed open the door of her office and locked it behind him. Catherine smiled and said: "I knew you would hurry."

Lou snorted and said: "I would've been faster if that guy wouldn't have kept me so long. Didn't know he could take that long to tell me so little."

Catherine chuckled and walked up to him. She put her hand on his chest and said: "I'm glad your okay. I was scared.."

Lou smiled at Catherine and caressed her cheek with his thumb before he said: "I knew you were. But everything's fine, don't worry about it anymore."

Catherine kissed his lips for a couple of seconds before she said: "I won't. Just wanted to let you know that I'm glad everything was okay. Wouldn't want to miss kissing you."

He smiled and put his arm around her waist so he could pull her closer to him. Their bodies touched and Lou kissed Catherine's lips. Gently, at first. The kiss became more passionate after less than five seconds. Their tongues started duelling with each other and Catherine's hands moved to his lower back. He moved himself so he was able to press Catherine against the wall of her office before he started to attack her neck. Doing that caused Catherine to chuckle a little bit; she was ticklish, and he knew it. Catherine could feel Lou growing through his pants and when his hands disappeared under her shirt, she knew things were going to far. His hands just felt too good.

Lou was about to put her shirt over her head when here phone interrupted their actions. Both sighed heavy before Catherine reached for her phone and listened to Nick on the other side. When she hung up, she put her forehead againstLou's chest while she said: "It was Nick. He found something, I have to go."

Catherine felt Lou nod and they shared one last kiss before both took off to the place they were supposed to be.

* * *

While Catherine was driving to Lou's place, she stared at the reflection of herself in her mirror. That doctor Malaga made her doubt everything about herself she used to be so certain about. He felt like growing old was a disease. As if wrinkles were a worldwide problem. He had made her look further into a mirror than she usually did, and at that point, she'd started to doubt everything. Wás she getting too old? Were her wrinkles making her look bad? She suddenly felt so insecure. Something she wasn't used to feeling. When she arrived at Lou's house, she felt even worse. Wás she attractive to him? Or would he soon think she wasn't beautiful enough and let her down as if she was just a piece of nothing? With aversion, Catherine walked to the door and knocked on it. She wanted to hide; she felt terrible.

As soon as Lou opened the door, he could tell something was wrong with Catherine. She smiled at him, kissed him, greeted him… But her eyes looked sad, and he knew there was something spinning in her head. He let her walk into his living room, hoping she would talk herself. She didn't though, and as soon as both had settled on the couch with a drink he said: "Okay, what's wrong?"

Catherine raised her eyebrows and said: "What do you mean, what's wrong?"

Lou looked at her and said: "Don't lie to me, I can tell something's bothering you. What is it?"

Catherine shrugged and said: "I don't really know if I want to talk about it."

He put his hand around her neck and pulled her a little closer to him. Catherine's head now rested on his shoulder, and a loud sigh was coming out of her mouth. After a few seconds, she finally said: "It's just… That case, that doctor.. He just.. He made me feel like I'm some kind of old piece of nothing. He felt like growing old was a disease and I just can't help but feeling like… Like, I don't know… Like I'm too old. I suddenly feel as if I'm nothing and I'm afraid you'll think I'm too old and that you'll run off eventually."

Catherine let out another sigh after saying those words and looked in Lou's eyes. He turned a little bit so he was able to cup her cheeks with his hands and said: "Promise me you'll never think like that again. You're the most gorgeous woman in this world. I wouldn't want to trade you for anything."

He kept staring into Catherine's pretty blue eyes until a tear felt down her cheek and he heard her whisper: "I… I promise. You're incredible."

Lou smiled and joked: "I know." He pulled Catherine into a hug, and after a couple of seconds filled with warmth, they let go of each other again. Catherine smiled, her eyes still wet, and said: "Thank you. I.. I know this might sound lame and perhaps this is going to fast because I know we don't know each other that well but.. I think I love you."

Catherine couldn't help but look hopeful into Lou's direction, praying he wouldn't run away. And he didn't. In fact, he just moved his face closer to Catherine's and whispered: "That's a good thing. Because I think I love you too," before placing his lips on Catherine's and kiss her, with all the love he had in him.

_Note: Hope you liked it! Please let me know... Only takes you a few seconds! xxx. _


	8. Mea Culpa

_Note: Hi guys, sorry for the long time it took for me to update. I honestly am ashamed of that ;-). This chapter was kinda hard to write though, since Mea Culpea isn't such an interesting episode (well, it isn't to me) until the end of it. And I'm a terrible smut-writer, so I hope this won't dissapoint you too much. Enjoy! xx. _

**8. Mea Culpa **

Catherine felt his hand was kneading her thigh gently. She smiled; she and Lou were supposed to be watching television together, but he'd been distracted for a while know. Catherine noticed that because, whenever he stopped watching the screen, he touched her. He'd grabbed her hand, played with her hair, kissed her lips and was currently busy with her thigh. She knew he was bored; he hated Desperate Housewives. She knew it would take him only a few more minutes of Bree's unmoving hair and a few more clumsy actions of Susan to go crazy. Catherine turned her head slightly and saw Tony staring at her with a smile. She chuckled and said: "You're aware of the fact that you're staring, right?"

Lou kept smiling and said: "I know. You're much more interesting than that television screen."

Catherine chuckled again. He was so sweet. She leant in and kissed him lightly on his lips. She planned on watching to the screen again, but Lou wasn't planning on letting her go. He put his hand behind her back and whispered: "Don't you think I'm more interesting than that television screen either?"

Catherine smiled and said: "Well, to be honest, I'm not sure…"

He didn't even let her finish her sentence; with one, flexible move he picked her up and carried her upstairs. Catherine laughed while she tried to get out of his grip. She knew she wouldn't be watching any more tv that night; she didn't mind though. As soon as they reached the bedroom, Lou let go of Catherine and placed her on his bed gently. He watched her for a second and Catherine tried to be innocent, saying: "Oh, so this is what you wanted to do instead of watching television. I didn't have a clue."

"I bet you didn't," were the only words that left Lou's mouth before he jumped on the bed and placed his hungry lips on Catherine's. Catherine felt his weight on her body and let out a soft moan when she felt Lou's body pressed against hers. It took Tony five seconds to take off Catherine's shirt and open the button of her pants.

Not long after that, both were only wearing their underwear. Lou's hands were all over Catherine's body. Catherine knew she had to go to work in less than an hour, but as soon as she felt his fingers unclasp her bra and only seconds later his hands caressing her breasts, she forgot about that. His hands were working on her body as if it was magic; every single thing he did gave her a completely satisfying feeling of joy. Lou's hands moved themselves to her panties, never breaking their kiss.

The moment Lou's fingers hit her wet spot, a loud moan escaped from Catherine's lips. It put a huge smirk on his face; he liked knowing that what he did could make Catherine sound like that. He pulled the panties down, knowing that green would be his new favourite colour,- and looked at Catherine's face before gently sliding one finger inside her. The pleasure he could see on her face was priceless.

When a second finger entered Catherine, she knew it wouldn't take too long for her to come. Their eyes were still connected and after another loud moan she whispered: "Oh God… I love you."

* * *

Catherine couldn't get the smile off her face when she arrived at work. She knew that was somewhat inappropriate because of the job she did, but she couldn't help it. Lou was such a sweet man. She adored him, and it felt so good to have someone who appreciated her in a way that went further than just showing her off for the way she looked. He loved her for who she was. She hadn't told him about everything that had happened to her in the past. Of course, he knew about Eddie. He knew his death had happened under pretty interesting circumstances. Catherine hadn't told him about Eddie's abuse though. She hadn't told him about her coke habit either, and she definitely hadn't told him about her days as an exotic dancer, though she had the idea that he knew about that last thing already. She knew she would tell him eventually. But, despite the amount of time the two had been spending lately, there were a lot of things they had to learn about each other.

Catherine stopped having a lot of time to think about Lou the moment she met up with Nick, Warrick and Grissom though. Grissom wanted to discuss the Max Lawson case with them, and as soon as they were altogether, Catherine said:

"I remember this case. The Garbetts owned a restaurant that was next door to the victim's hardware store. Max Larson owned the private alleyway that was behind both places."

The case was still very vivid to Catherine; it had been complicated, yet interesting and intriguing. And now, they had to re-open the case. Catherine knew Grissom never made mistakes. And she was sure she would prove that.

* * *

Grissom's case had been cleared, but yet, Catherine felt terrible. She was stunned. Ecklie had made her the Swing Shift supervisor. Which meant that she would miss having Greg, Sara and Grissom with her during shift. But the worst part was that she would see Lindsey even less than she had been the last couple of years. Swing's hours were worse than the nightshift. Catherine's had was resting in Lou's lap and she bitterly said: "God, Ecklie's such a weasel. I can't believe he did this!

Lou played with the silky soft strands of Catherine's hair when he replied: "I know. Just… Just try to see the positive sides of this; you're supervisor now. And you still have Nick and Warrick."

Catherine sighed and tried to look up into Lou's eyes when she said: "I know. It's nice to have more responsibilities and it's definitely nice to have Nick and Warrick with me. It's just… I already miss so much of Lindsey's live. I'm afraid I'll see her even less now, and we're not at greatest terms at the moment.. And you… How are we going to spent time together when you're working nights most of the time?"

He leant down and kissed her lightly before he started stroking her hair again and said: "Catherine, you're a great mother. Lindsey loves you, and I'm sure Lindsey understand that you have to work in order for you to live the way you do right now. It will be hard in the beginning, adjusting to the new hours and finding a way to plan things the right way. But I'm sure you'll work that out. You and Lindsey together. You two always do. Lindsey's a teenager, she's supposed to be stubborn. But she will grow past that. She'll never stop loving you, I promise you. And I don't even want to hear you getting worried about us. I love you, Catherine. That's what counts most."

Lou's words had a good effect on Catherine; he knew exactly what to say to make her feel a little better, though she still wasn't too happy about her new job. Catherine got up and cupped Lou's face with her hands before kissing his lips. When she broke it again, she gently caressed his cheek with her thumb while saying: "Thank you. I love you."

He kissed her again before he said: "I love you too."

They sat in silence for a couple of seconds, Catherine's head resting on Lou's shoulder, before she said: "I'll go and call Warrick. See if he's aware of our new team yet."

Lou nodded and watched Catherine leave to grab her cell phone. He couldn't help but smile. She was so gorgeous. He was aware of the fact that there were a billion things the two didn't know about each other yet. He hadn't told her about his.. Well, interesting ex-wife. And he hadn't told her too much about his son yet. He knew that was something he should tell her; the boy was a big part of his life after all. There was so many things Lou knew he had to explain though as soon as he would bring up his ex-wife and son, and he was afraid to scare Catherine away. He knew she wouldn't back away; Catherine's life hadn't been easy either. But he was convinced that, some time soon, there would be the right time to tell her everything. And that time was not today.

_Note: So... Liked it, hated it..? Last part was so much easier to write, haha ;-). Sorry for the shortness, next chapter will be longer, I promise. Please let me know if you enjoyed it, the button's down there somewhere...! xxx._


	9. No Humans Involved

_Note: Hi guys, thanks so much for the sweet reviews. I was so happy to read them and it made me feel so good to read your thoughts. I'm glad you're all looking forward to the Weeping Willows chapter, 'cause that will definitely be an intresting one, and the ones before that one will be as well. Here's the extra scenes that should've been in No Humans Involved in my opinion. It focusses on Warrick and Catherine as well, mainly because I hated the fact that Warrick and Catherine were having an argument in this episode ;-). Please enjoy. xx._

**9. No Humans Involved.**

Four days and four nights. It had been four whole days and four whole nights since the last time Catherine had seen Lou. And she didn't like it one bit that it had been so long. At least, it seemed too long since she'd seen him. The worst part was that, at this very moment, Nick and Warrick were working on a crime scene with Lou. And she was in the hospital, taking pictures of the victim and looking at his injures. She knew that it was wrong of her to complain about not seeing Lou during her job. After all, most people weren't able to see their partner at work. But most people were working normal hours as well; something both she and Lou didn't. Catherine tried to shake off her thoughts about the man she was in love with and concentrate on the victim.

Being a boss was something Catherine had always enjoyed. The thing she hated the most about it though was the fact that she had to keep her colleagues in line. Even when she agreed with them. And especially when it concerned Warrick. She loved Warrick; he was one of her best friends, one of the people she trusted the most. Luieutenant Chen had complained about Warrick, and she was the one who was supposed to solve that problem. And she knew Warrick wasn't pleased with her, sitting in front of her, listening to her lecture. His displeasure showed through his entire body when he said: "Yeah, I really don't see what the big deal is. I mean, I remember talking to Grissom.."

Catherine interrupted and said: "Well, I'm not Grissom. He let a lot of things slide that I won't."

Warrick's sarcasm was obviously noticeable when he said: "Okay. Is there anything else?"

Catherine sighed; she didn't want to do this. But she was the boss. She had to. That was why she said: "The evidence cleared the extraction team. You owe Lieutenant Chen an apology."

"Written or verbal?"

Catherine raised an eyebrow but didn't reply. Instead, she said: "From now on, anything that happens at a crime scene, I'm your first phone call."

"Sure." Warrick shook his shoulders before getting up and leaving the office. As soon as the door was closed, Catherine let out another deep sigh before closing her eyes and rubbing her temples with her fingertips. Now, one of her best friends was pissed. That, along with the fact that she hadn't seen Lou for so long, made her grumpy. Catherine suddenly felt as if her promotion to Swing Shift Supervisor didn't had any advances. Instead, it lacked the warmth and familiarity she used to feel when she worked with her friends. And she didn't like that one bit.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Catherine still hadn't been able to continue her work. Warrick had been walking around in circles in her mind, and she decided to look around the lab, to see if she was able to spot him somewhere around. It was then that she spotted Lou, talking to Conrad Ecklie. Lou spotted her immediately, and looked at Catherine. The look in his eyes told her he wanted to be saved from the man. She wanted to walk over, but saw Warrick standing in the locker room at the same moment. Catherine mouthed 'sorry' to Vartann before changing her route and walked into the locker room.

Warrick wanted to get up as soon as he saw the redhead walk into the room, but she closed the door behind her and started talking immediately. "Warrick… I'm sorry about our conversation. Well, I'm not sorry about saying those things because I needed to say them since I'm your boss… It's just.. I don't want to let me being your boss get in between our friendship. It's hard, being your boss. I honestly have this feeling that me being a boss is just wrong… That things would've been better the way they were."

Catherine let out a deep sigh, and Warrick couldn't stay mad at his friend any longer. He got up and walked over to her. He pulled her in for a big hug and said: "Don't worry about it. I can't stay mad with you. You did what you needed to do, I understand. You're a great boss."

Catherine smiled and broke off their hug before she said: "That's sweet War, thank you."

Warrick smiled back and said: "Let's go do our job, okay? I'm sure Nick's looking for us."

"Sure. I'll meet you guys in the evidence room in a bit, okay? I need to finish up some other things first."

Warrick nodded and gave her one last smile, assuring her things were good before walking away. Catherine walked out behind him, expecting to find Lou with Ecklie in the hallways. He wasn't unfortunately. He couldn't be that far away though; she had been inside with Warrick for less than a couple of minutes. She looked around to see if she could spot him while she walked to her office, where she had some papers she needed for her meeting with Nick and Warrick. As soon as she stepped into her office, the door was slammed and a hand covered her mouth while she felt lips in her neck. The hand slowly slipped away from her mouth and Catherine immediately was aware that it was Lou who was standing behind her. His lips hadn't left her neck yet and she chuckled before she said: "You really like making out in this office, don't you?"

Lou's lips left her neck for a second and Catherine could feel his breath on her neck when he said: "I like making out with you everywhere. I should've ignored you though for leaving me alone with Ecklie. That man's a disaster."

Catherine chuckled again and said: "I'm sorry. I needed to sort some things out with Warrick." She turned around to face Lou and cupped his cheeks before she said: "I missed you. It's been so long since I've seen you."

He smiled and said: "Four days isn't thát long. It felt longer than that though, I agree about that. I missed you too. That's why I'm here."

He continued kissing her, this time on her mouth though. His hands disappeared under Catherine's shirt and Catherine knew she should stop him from doing that, like she usually did. She knew what would happen when she didn't. And besides, she had to meet with Nick and Warrick. She couldn't help but getting more aroused than was good for her when she felt Lou's body pressed against hers, his hardness obviously pressing against her. Catherine was short of breath from all the kissing she and Lou had been doing when she said: "I… I need to meet.. Nick…. Warrick. In the evidence room."

She moaned when Lou softly bit in her neck before he said: "I'd rather have you not thinking about Nick and Warrick right now."

Catherine felt how he unclasped her bra underneath her shirt and she knew that Warrick and Nick had to wait for a while. She tucked Lou's shirt out of his pants and then took off his jacket while Lou was struggling to get rid of her t-shirt at that same time. Their lips broke apart for a second to take of their shirts and Catherine smiled when she saw his muscled arms and belly. He was so handsome. Their shirts disappeared as well and it took them less than thirty seconds to take off all their clothes.

Lou stopped kissing Catherine for a moment to look at her. She was so gorgeous. He loved her skin; it was freckled everywhere. He loved her breasts, her butt, her legs; he loved everything. "You're so beautiful."

The redness that appeared on Catherine's cheeks wasn't only because of the warmth she was feeling. Lou's compliments always made her blush. He attacked her lips almost immediately after it though, knowing the time they had was little. He pushed Catherine to her desk to make sure they had some kind of steady spot behind them before he trusted into Catherine.

Lou entering her already made Catherine let out a big moan. "God." Lou moved faster, and faster, and faster. Both knew that what they were doing had nothing to do with making love; they were close though, and that was exactly what they needed.

* * *

Catherine knew she was late when she walked into the evidence room, were Warrick and Nick were waiting for her. It had been worth every second though. She walked in without any explanation, and said: "I'm sorry I'm so late guys, something came up."

Warrick and Nick nodded, both not asking further. They did exchange a look though; both noticed the red spot that was obviously visible in Catherine's neck. Catherine didn't notice that though, and started talking.

"We now know the cops were not responsible, so that leaves us with thirty-four suspects, all with rap sheets. Is there anything narrow to focus?"

Warrick looked at the red spot, still thinking of how it had gotten there; she hadn't had it thirty minutes ago. He did answer though, saying: "Well, I compared all thirty-four pairs, I came up with one sole pattern…" He took the boots from under the table and put them on it while saying: "And one suspect. Vincent Mendoza.. Booked for meth manufacture."

The conversation between the three continued, and while Warrick focused on their case and the conversation, he kept thinking about Catherine's red spot in the back of his head. It was obvious that it was a hickey. But he knew Catherine had broken up with Chris a while ago, and Warrick wondered if there was anyone else she'd been seeing. He knew he was too curious about Catherine's love life, but he couldn't help it.

After Catherine, Warrick and Nick had solved their case, Catherine spotted the two men sitting in the break room, sharing a big bag of popcorn. Catherine wanted to get in. But she didn't dare. A wistful smile appeared on her face and she sighed again, before she looked at her watch and walked back again. Warrick had seen his boss standing though, and he said: "Nick, I'll be right back. I need to talk to someone for a second. Save some popcorn, will you?"

Nick nodded and grabbed a magazine when Warrick left the room. Warrick walked as fast as he could and raised his voice when he said: "Catherine? Cath!"

The redhead stopped when she heard Warrick's voice, and prayed he hadn't seen her watching them. Catherine didn't want him to feel sorry for her. She turned around with a smile and said: "Yes?"

Warrick caught up with her and said: "Hey! You want to join me and Nick? We're eating popcorn."

Catherine smiled; she knew Warrick had seen her. "That's really sweet War, but you guys can have some guy time together. I'll be fine."

Warrick smiled back at the woman and couldn't help saying: "Meeting someone else?"

Catherine's smile disappeared a little and she raised her eyebrows, curious about what Warrick meant. "What do you mean?"

Warrick put his finger on his neck, on the spot where Catherine's hickey was and said: "I'm watching you, boss lady."

Catherine smiled but she knew she was getting red. Warrick noticed it as well and chuckled before he said: "We'll talk about that later, Catherine. Have a nice night."

Catherine laughed and said: "You too, Warrick. Say hi to Nicky from me."

"Will do." Warrick winked at the redhead before walking back to the break room. Catherine smiled when she looked after he friend; he was so sweet. She knew she had to come up with a reliable story concerning her hickey though. Her and Vartann's relationship couldn't get out in public; it would get way too complicated. And she didn't want those complexions to ruin the fantastic relationship she was currently having.

_Note: Liked it? Please let me know. Next chapter will be up asap. Thanks for reading! xx. _


	10. Big Middle

_Note: Thanks so much again for the lovely reviews and to all of you who read. I'm so happy to read your thoughts about this story! Next chapter's here, enjoy! xx. _

**10. Big Middle. **

Catherine stopped Lou as he was walking to her front door and said: "Wait a second," before grabbing his hand and pulling him back to her. Lou raised his eyebrows, but knew why she'd wanted him to wait as soon as her lips connected to his. He had spent a couple of hours at Catherine's place, and it was now time for him to leave; his shift would start in fifteen minutes. The two broke their connection after a couple of seconds and Catherine said: "I guess I'll see you later."

Lou smiled. "I know I will. Call me when you're on break, okay?"

Catherine nodded and stole one last kiss from Lou before she let go of him. She watched him walk to his black Denali and waved as he drove away. A deep sigh escaped out of her mouth, but it wasn't a bad one; it was a sigh out of satisfaction. Everything seemed to be so good, things were so perfect. It actually scared her a little bit; being happy usually meant trouble. Catherine didn't want to think about that though. And when she heard her phone ring, she knew she wouldn't have much time to think about it either; she had to work.

* * *

Vartann was surprised to run into Catherine when his shift was almost done. Well, he didn't actually run into her. He saw her sitting in the lounge, watching a television screen with Warrick. Lou surprised himself when he felt a little something sting deep inside of him; he felt jealous. Jealous because Catherine hadn't called him to spent time with her during her break, and even more jealous because she was spending that break with Warrick. Lou knew Catherine liked Warrick a lot. He never had any reason to be jealous about that though. But now he saw her, sitting a little bit to close next to Warrick for his liking, laughing, talking and smiling that dazzling smile of hers… And it stung. Because he wanted her to spent that time with him. He tried to shake his feelings off, and walk inside the room to see if he could convince Catherine to meet up with him for at least a couple of minutes. Lou was too curious though and listened to what Catherine and Warrick were saying instead.

Meanwhile, Catherine wasn't aware of anything and smiled at Warrick before she said: " What do I get if I win?"

Warrick smiled. "How about a fabulous dinner?"

Catherine couldn't help but keep a smile on her face. She loved Warrick so much; he meant so much to her. He was one of her best friends, not to mention one of the most attractive people she'd ever met. She knew she wasn't supposed to think of Warrick the way she used to now that she was seeing Lou, but sometimes she couldn't help it. "I'll take your action."

Warrick looked at Catherine with a smile and said. "All right."

The basketball game the two were watching continued, while the two kept discussing their case. Catherine said: " So, unless we find our murder weapon, the case against Urbana is circumstantial at best."

"But he's involved. I feel it. Those sports betting types… They'll lie to their own kids about a game that hasn't been played yet."

Catherine raised an eyebrow and said: "You were a sports betting guy."

Warrick nodded and sighed before he said: "Yeah, and I lied when I was".

Catherine looked at Warrick for a split second, seeing his vulnerability before the tv-announcer started talking. " Scott making his move. No good! Charlotte looking for one last shot. He can't get it - buzzard! Final score: Hartford 89. Charlotte 88."

A loud groan escaped from Catherine's lips; her team had lost. She then realised that she'd still won the bet she'd and Warrick had made though and said: "Oh!"

Warrick simply smiled, knowing Catherine would be pleased with the fact that she'd won. She indeed showed that when she said: "My team loses, but I still win that bet."

Warrick wanted to say something back when his phone rang. He answered it, and talked to the phone: "Brown. Really? Well, thank you."

He than hung up and said to Catherine: " That was the manager of The Sports Book. Says a guy filed a lost ticket claim for the tickets that you found at the beaver dam."

Catherine asked: "What's the name?"

"Cesar Dabo."

Catherine and Warrick stood up and Catherine said: "Well, let's search him in our computer then."

Lou was still standing on the other side of the door, listening to what Catherine and Warrick were saying. He didn't expect the two of them coming out of the lounge though, and was surprised when suddenly a stunned Warrick and Catherine were standing in front of him. Lou was trying to make up a good excuse while looking in the surprised and somewhat amused eyes of Catherine when he heard Warrick say: "Detective, what's going on?"

Lou knew he sounded normal when he said: "Oh, I was just looking for Greg or Grissom. Figured they may be in here."

Warrick shook his head and said: "Nope, sorry, we were the only two."

Lou nodded and glanced for a short second at Catherine's face. He could tell she didn't believe his story. Warrick noticed the look at well, but didn't say a word. He wanted to continue walking to the lab, but Catherine wanted to know what Lou had been doing outside of the lounge. She wasn't buying his story at all. She put her hand on Warrick's shoulder and said: "War, I'll be right there, I need to grab something out of my locker."

Warrick shrugged and said: "Fine, just be quick okay?"

Catherine nodded and smiled. "I will, don't worry."

Catherine walked into the direction room, hoping Lou would understand her hint. He obviously did as he said his goodbye to Warrick, telling him he would go and call Grissom instead of searching throughout the whole building. When Warrick looked over his shoulder though to see where Lou was heading, he found it somewhat odd that the man had followed Catherine into the locker room.

* * *

Lou closed the door of the locker room behind him and as soon as it was closed, Catherine started talking. "Okay, you have exactly five minutes to tell me what you were doing outside of that lounge, mister, 'cause I don't believe a word of the little story you just told Warrick."

Lou knew she was trying to sound severe, but the sparkle in her eyes revealed that she was actually quite amused with what was going on. He was almost embarrassed when he said: "Believe me, you don't want to know."

Catherine chuckled and said: "Actually I do."

She stepped a little closer and tugged at his collar when she said: "And the sooner you tell me, the more time we have to kiss…"

Lou couldn't get his sentence straight. In first place because of the fact that Catherine was so close, and second because he felt like a dumb idiot. "Cath.. I.. Seriously… It was nothing.. I.."

Catherine chuckled again and said: "Well, let me see. What I think, is that you heard me and Warrick in the lounge. You heard us talk and you were curious to hear what about. So you stayed and listened. Am I right?"

Lou decided to skip the part of him being somewhat jealous and said: "Uh… Yeah. That's pretty much it."

Catherine smiled a little bit arrogant and chuckled again before she said: "I knew it. You're jealous, aren't you?"

He slipped his hands around her waist and said: "I don't know what even gives you the idea of me being jealous."

Catherine smiled. "Oh, but I do. Never thought you would be the jealous type, Lou. Or actually, I did."

Lou shook his head and laughed before he said: "Oh, shut up you."

"Just admit it, you are!"

Lou knew he wouldn't be able to get a kiss soon as long as he wouldn't give in to Catherine. The fact that she was actually right may had something to do with that as well. That was why he said: "Fine, you're right, I'm jealous."

He waited for Catherine to finally kiss him, but she simply looked at him, waiting for a longer explanation. That was why he finally said: "Fine. I'm jealous because you're cute and funny and sweet and sexy and I know Warrick knows that too. Now give me a kiss, will you?"

Catherine laughed and leant in and gave him a short, sweet kiss on his lips. Lou was somewhat disappointed when Catherine broke off their kiss so soon. She simply said: "You're five minutes are up. Gotta go." She stuck out her tongue before she added: "We'll talk about your issues later though."

Catherine got herself out of Lou's embrace and unlocked the door. Before she walked out of the locker room though, she turned around and said: "For a what it's worth.. I think it's kind of cute that you're jealous." She winked, and then hurried to get to Warrick.

* * *

Warrick got out of the interrogation room after a short conversation with Cesar Dabo. His case was closed, but he wanted to find Catherine first. He'd been thinking all day about Catherine's hickey last week and the interaction between her and Vartann earlier that day. Warrick found her in her office and knocked on the door before walking in with a smile. He closed the door behind him and sat down in the chair. Catherine was the one who started to speak. "So, case closed I heard?"

Warrick nodded and ruffled his hair before he said: "Yeah. Brass is doing his paperwork right now, he'll pass it to you when he's done."

Catherine nodded and said: "I guess I'll find those papers on my desk tomorrow then."

Warrick nodded. He knew he had no actual reason to stay in Catherine's office, but he had suspicions he wanted to confirm. Or disconfirm. He was wondering if what he'd been thinking was right. That was why he said: "Hey, Cath… I was thinking, today.. About you.. And you're hickey."

After Warrick said the word 'hickey', Catherine's eyes shot up immediately. Her eyes narrowed a little bit, waiting for Warrick to continue. He cleared his troth and said: "Are you and Vartann seeing each other?"

Catherine's eyes became wider, and she wanted to come up with some kind of lame excuse. But she knew she could tell Warrick without being afraid of him telling it to anyone else; he wouldn't spread the word. That was why she slowly nodded and said: "I.. I wanted to tell you guys. It's just.. I know it's not allowed. I don't want either of us to risk our jobs for our relationship." She smiled before she added: "We've been pretty good in hiding it so far."

Warrick smiled and said: "I'm happy for you, Catherine."

Catherine smiled and said: "Thanks. That means a lot to me."

* * *

Meanwhile, Vartann was at his place, hanging on the couch and watching a movie. He hoped Catherine would call so they could meet up. He couldn't help but think about what she was doing right now. He'd tried to joke a little bit about his jealousy towards Warrick, but when he was honest with himself, he knew that he didn't like the relationship between Catherine and Warrick. They were such good friends, and rumour said that Warrick and Catherine had been involved a while ago. Of course, that were rumors and Lou knew that many of those weren't true. But he knew Warrick knew Catherine so much better than he did; and it scared him. He let out a loud sigh and tried to pay attention to his television screen again. But Warrick and Catherine were on his mind the entire time.

_Note: And... You liked it? As usual, let me know, I love to read your thoughts! xxx._


	11. Spark of Life

_Note: Yay, next chapter! Thanks again for the sweet reviews, I appreciate them so much. This chapter was pretty hard to write to be honest, and I hope it won't dissapoint you guys! Enjoy, xx. _

**11. Spark of Life**

"You still don't want to tell me what's wrong?" Catherine raised an eyebrow while she watched Lou, who was currently sitting in a chair reading yesterday's paper while drinking a cup of coffee. He didn't reply, and Catherine sighed out loud. They'd just returned from a very long shift and all Catherine really wanted to do was lie down in bed in Lou's arms. He didn't seem to agree about that though. He had followed Catherine to her place as planned, but as soon as they'd stepped into her home, Catherine had sensed something was wrong. Lou didn't give in to any of her questions though, and Catherine was getting annoyed with it. She grabbed the paper out of his hands and before he could say a word, Catherine said: "If you won't start talking to me right now you can go. I'm tired and I'm not going to fight about this. You're going to tell me right now why you're acting like you lost your voice."

Lou watched Catherine with surprise. She did look tired, and he suddenly felt terrible for being so indifferent since they'd arrived at her place. The green monster inside of him had been playing parts again. This time, it hadn't been Warrick though. Nick was the one to blame this time. Lou couldn't even explain why he'd felt so jealous; all the two had been doing was talk. He sighed and looked into Catherine's tired blue eyes. He grabbed her hand and pulled her in his lap. Catherine let out a loud sigh as soon as their bodies touched and Lou nuzzled her neck for a second before he said: "I'm sorry. I…I guess I'm just more possessive than I thought I was. I… I can't help it. I hate seeing you being cosy with Nick or Warrick, knowing that they know so much more about you than I do."

Catherine's face softened and she turned around to face him. She knew what he meant. She felt that exact same. But she didn't had to worry about female co-workers getting to cosy with Lou. She cupped his cheeks with her hands and whispered: "You need to stop worrying about that. I love you. I want to be with you. They might know me better and know more about my past, but that doesn't make them more important than you. I love you."

He nodded and said: "I know. I love you too. It's just… It's difficult sometimes."

Catherine nodded and smiled. "I know. Just remember that you love me. And that I love you." She leant in to kiss him on his lips before she said: "Let's go to bed, okay?"

* * *

Catherine woke up and found an empty spot next to her. To her relief, a small piece of paper was on that spot as well. She turned herself so she could read what was on it; she recognized Lou's handwriting immediately. _Got called in, sorry. I meet you at the station. Love you. _It was short, but Catherine was happy to read it. She looked at her alarm clock, and realised that if she wanted to see Lindsey that day, she had only two hours of sleep left.

* * *

Halfway through her shift that day, Catherine felt as if she was holding a thousand pound on her back. Her case took so much energy and it killed her to see what a mess the entire case was. The fact that an innocent young girl was dead made it even harder. She needed someone. She needed Lou. She closed the door of her office and dialled his number on her cell phone. It took him long to answer his phone, but when he finally did, Catherine was relieved. "Vartann."

"Hey, it's me. Are you busy?"

"A little but that's okay. Are you okay, is something wrong?"

Catherine could hear he was concerned and it made her feel a little better; the coldness he'd been showing the day before seemed to be gone. "I, well, nothing's wrong, I just have a terrible case. I was wondering if you were in the building, but I can hear you're not."

Catherine could tell he was stepping away from the rest of the people he was with because the noises around him seemed to be further than they were before and she then heard him say: "I'm sorry, honey, I'm interviewing someone with Sara right now. I'll come see you as soon as I'm back, okay?"

"That would be nice. Call me if I'm not in my office, okay?"

"I will, sweetheart. Don't worry to much, okay? I've got to go. I love you."

"Thank you, I love you too."

Almost two hours later, near the end of Lou's shift, he was finally able to call Catherine. He apologized as soon as she answered the phone. "Hey Cath, it's me, I'm sorry, it all took so much longer than I thought it would. Where are you?"

Catherine sighed and said: "I just left my office, I have to discuss the case with Warrick, Grissom and Sara. You're almost finished though, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am." Lou was a little disappointed to hear that seeing Catherine probably wouldn't happen in the next couple of hours. He continued talking and said: "Are you okay? You really sounded upset when I talked to you."

"I'm okay. This case is just terrible. But I'll be fine. You know… You can go to my place, if you like. Lindsey's with my mom, and than we can meet up as soon as I'm finished. My spare key's in my locker."

Lou thought for a second and then said: "I guess that's a good idea. I hope you're quick."

Catherine sighed and said: "I hope I am too. I have to go now, but I'll meet you at my place. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

Lou arrived at Catherine's place almost thirty minutes later. He liked the fact that he was alone in Catherine's house; they'd been there so often, but he'd never been there on his own. He liked Catherine's house though. It smelled like Catherine and it made him feel like he was closer to her, even though he wasn't with her. Lou settled himself on the couch with a drink and turned on the television, trying to ignore the upcoming headache.

Twenty minutes later though, he felt as if his head was about to explode and decided to go and search the house for some aspirin. A logical place seemed to be the kitchen cupboard, but there was no aspirin in there. The cupboard in the bathroom wasn't provided with anything close to aspirin either. The only option left were the cupboards in Catherine's bedroom, but Lou wasn't sure if he should look into them. Despite the closeness of the two, he was sure there were enough private things between the two of them that hadn't been talked about, and he didn't want to find them out bye accident. But his headache was getting more painful every second, and he didn't want that to ruin the little time he could spent with Catherine later on.

That was why Lou eventually opened the cupboard that was standing right from Catherine's bed. His eyes quickly scanned the contents, but there didn't seem to be anything that even looked like aspirin in the cupboard. His eyes rested on a thick, leather-covered book. He knew he wasn't supposed to look in it; it was probably something personal. He should close the cupboard and continue his search for aspirin. His curiosity won it over his conscious for now though, and he slowly grabbed the thick book out of its place. His hand fingered the thick leather for a couple of seconds before he opened the book somewhere in the middle. He started reading and before he knew what exactly he was doing, Lou found himself reading the diary of a 26-year old Catherine.

_5__th__ of November, 1985. _

_I sprained my ankle. Again. It's the second time in two moths than my ankles can't seem to handle those high heels and it's driving me nuts. Dancing isn't an option, so I'm stuck behind the bar and it obviously makes a less amount of money than I do when I'm dancing.I need the money. I really do. Eddie's gone again with his buddies, claiming their big break is only days away. I don't believe a word of that. He's said it a million times now, and nothing happened so far. All he does is using my money for his own sake. Well, that's not completely true of course. He uses it to buy the stuff as well. I'm not sure how exactly I rolled into this, but ever since I first used it I feel like life is so much better when I'm under its spell. Eddie's not angry with me, my job seems better than ever and I feel like I can fight against the whole world. As long as I'm able to get that stuff. And thank God Ed's able to get it for me. Because I honestly wouldn't know what to do without it. _

Lou's eyes narrowed after he'd read the first entry he'd seen, and he wondered what exactly Catherine was talking about. His brain told him to stop reading and wait for Catherine to tell him everything about her past, but he was too curious. He flipped through the pages until another entry caught his eye.

_8__th__ of March, 1986. _

_Great. Things are great, absolutely fantastic. Eddie took off again and I'm sick as hell. I quit. I quit the cocaine and I feel like hell. My entire body is screaming for that stuff and Eddie's gone instead of helping me. I'm scared. I'm scared that I can't do this and I'm scared that I'm going to fall right into the arms of that powder as soon as I see someone using it in front of me. I want to quit. I really do. But it's so damn hard. How the hell am I going to dance tonight without this stuff? How am I supposed to take off my clothes and dance like I usually do, without feeling secure. I feel like crap. I feel like I'm nothing. God, I hate this. Why did I ever start using that stuff?_

* * *

Catherine quietly entered her house. Her case had been solved, and Catherine wanted to lie in bed with Lou and forget about it. It had been terrible. She knew she was late though, and she thought he would probably be sleeping bye now, in her bed or on the sofa. She took off her jacket and heels, and checked the living room quietly. Lou wasn't there though. Catherine returned to her front door again and locked it up before slowly walking upstairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. She was surprised to find the lights on in her bedroom. As soon as she stood in the doorway though, feelings of surprise, anger and hurt flashed through her body when she found Lousitting on the floor, his back resting against her bed. Reading the book. Her diary. Her diary full of all the crappy things that had happened way back, full of all the things she'd done before she'd become a CSI. Catherine was scared immediately.

Louy felt someone staring at him and he immediately knew things were bad. Very, very bad. He looked up to find Catherine staring at him with both disbelief and pain in her eyes. He'd hurt her feelings. He stood up immediately, dropping the diary in the process and said: "Cath.. I.. I didn't hear you. I was… I…"

Catherine held up her hand and Lou stopped talking immediately. Her eyes were almost black instead of the usual sparkling blue, and he knew she wasn't only hurt. She was angry. Very, very angry. "What are you doing?"

Lou could hit himself; why, why, was he too stubborn and curious to just put the diary away? He hated himself for it. "I… I was looking for some aspirin. I couldn't find it. I thought it might be in your bedroom, so I searched through your cupboards and then I found that book. I should've never looked in it…"

"No, you shouldn't have! God, Lou, why couldn't you just leave it? You didn't have the right to… To just read those things. There are so many things in there that need an explanation! Damn it!"

He walked a little bit closer to Catherine, but as soon as his hand touched her arm she flinched and broke the contact immediately. Tears were forming in her eyes when she asked: "What exactly did you read, Lou?"

He shrugged and whispered: "I… I just flipped through the pages. I… I guess pretty much everything that was a part of your past you hadn't told me about."

A sigh of despair escaped out of Catherine's mouth before she scrubbed her tears away and said: "You didn't have to right to read this. You didn't. I… I'm not ashamed of what I've done, but I didn't want you to read it in that stupid book. Why couldn't you just leave it… Why?"

"I'm sorry, Catherine, it was stupid. I… I guess I just.. I was too curious."

Catherine's face hardened and Lou suddenly got the feeling that this conversation wasn't going to end well. Her hands flew in the air and Catherine yelled: "Too curious? Luu, you… You searched through my personal stuff! And I don't care about that as long as you respect my privacy. But you didn't! This… This is wrong, you know!"

Lou grabbed her hand and said: "I know it was wrong, Catherine. But… Can't we just talk about what's in that book? I want to know about you and…" He gulped before he added: "Addiction. And you and Eddie.. I want you to talk to me."

"Well, I don't!" Catherine shook his hand off and the protective walls she'd once built around herself during her relationship with Eddie were back as if they'd never been gone. She wanted to protect herself. Lou had hurt her. It hurt her so much to realise he now knew every single thing about her. Every stupid mistake she had made. "Leave… Please. Just go. I want to think for a while."

"Cath, don't do this. We have to talk about this."

Catherine raised her voice again when she yelled: "Go! You screwed things up and I want to be alone and think about them." Her eyes were getting wet again as she whispered: "Please. I really need to be alone. Please."

Lou knew he needed to go. He whispered: "I'm sorry," before he left the room. He turned around one last time to look at Catherine, but she looked away. Lou'd screwed it up. And he knew it.

As soon as Catherine heard her front door get closed, she fell down on her bed. She felt like a school girl who's heart had been crushed. And though she had passed the stage of school girl for a very long time now, but the hurt seemed even worse than it did when she was younger. Lou had hurt her feelings. And it crushed her more than she could've ever imagined.

_Note: Oeh, trouble in paradise... What's going to happen next? Please let me know if you enjoyed this chapter, I'm very curious to read your thoughts and ideas! Thanks for reading. Love, xx. _


	12. 4X4

_Note: Hi all, sorry for the huge, huge delay! I've been so busy with.. Well, being a graduated girl and hanging around outside in the nice weather that I haven't been writing for some time now. Here's an update though. It isn't a very big one, just a little more drama before the long awaited chapter that revolves around Weeping Willows! Please enjoy, xx._

**12. 4X4 **

Catherine could tell it was Lou who'd been waiting for her on the porch of her house. She recognized both his car and figure when she parked her own car in her driveway. She knew he was unpleased with the fact that she'd chosen to go out for dinner with Warrick instead of him. But she wasn't quite ready to talk to him. After the sneaking around in her room he'd done, she needed time to think. And Warrick had always been the one she talked to whenever she needed someone. So that was what she'd done the last couple of hours; eat, drink and talk with Warrick. Catherine still didn't have a clue of what to do about the issues she had with Lou. Catherine wanted to turn her car around and drive away again, but she knew she couldn't keep avoiding him. With a loud sigh, she got out of her car, trying to prepare herself for an interesting conversation with the man she was obiously still in love with. As soon as she put one foot on her porch, Lou got up and started talking. "Hey. I've been waiting for you.. I want to talk."

Catherine looked at Lou and she hated herself for only thinking about how handsome he looked. And how much she missed having his arms around her. But she hated the way he'd found out about her past. That should've never happened. "Lou.. I really don't want to do that right now. I need some more time."

Catherine could tell Lou wasn't very pleased with that as he said: "Catherine, I told you I was sorry… I still am. What more can I do?"

Catherine sighed and said: "I just… You have to understand that my past.. It's difficult. It's not something I wanted you to find out bye reading about it. I wanted to tell you about it myself."

He grabbed her hand and stroke her hand lightly when he said: "But I don't care about your past, Catherine. I can imagine that it's… Well, that it's not something you like to talk about in public. But I love you, Catherine, I don't care about your past."

Catherine bit her lip and said: "But I do. And that you don't understand that… That's just… That you don't understand that I do care about that makes me feel like you don't know me. At all."

It stung Lou that she said that; he loved her. He wanted her to be with him. "Catherine, don't.."

She didn't even let him finish talking as she said: "Lou, I need to think. This.. This just made me doubt about everything we have. I… I think I need some time… Apart. From you."

He raised his eyebrows and said: "You need time apart? Catherine, come on… Please. Can't we just talk this over?"

Lou could tell Catherine wasn't going to change her mind, and instead of yelling at her and throwing out all of his frustrations, he knew it was better to walk away. So that was what he did, knowing that it would take more than just his apologies to get her back.

* * *

Lou was disappointed when he saw Warrick approaching him and David. He had secretly hoped Catherine would've come to his crime scene. He knew that had been false hope though; he knew her better than that. Catherine wouldn't put herself in a situation like that. Lou wasn't too happy with Warrick though; he liked the man, but he knew how close he and Catherine were. And he was pretty sure Catherine had told him about everything that had happened. Warrick wasn't showing anything unprofessional though when he stepped on the stage and said: "Gentlemen."

Lou looked at Warrick, but he still wasn't showing any signs of aversive. Lou simply answered: "Hey," while Warrick put his kit down and said: "What's going on here?"

Lou grabbed the victim's ID cared and said: "Lisa Schumacher, 26," before handing Warrick her ID-tag. "There's no surveillance on the floor, and none of the rent-a-cops remember the last time they saw here."

Warrick looked at the older man and stated: "A convention girl." Warrick looked at the detective's face, and couldn't help but notice the dullness in his eyes. Catherine had told him about the two of them having problems. She hadn't said a word about what exactly had happened, but she had explained that there were some issues between them. They bothered her a lot, and Warrick could tell that Lou was suffering from them as well.

* * *

Somewhere between their cases, Warrick and Catherine were able to find the time to have lunch together. The crime lab had been turned up side down that shift; four mysteries in one night. Catherine was glad she was finally able to sit down and eat. Catherine could tell Warrick was looking at her while she was eating, and after not even a minute, she said: "You're staring at me. Stop staring."

Warrick shrugged and said: "Sorry. I was just… Thinking."

Catherine raised an eyebrow and said: "About what?"

"About Lou. I saw him this morning; he looked… Well, sad."

Catherine tilted her head to the side and thought about Lou for a split second. She hadn't seen him that shift. It stung her; they usually met up when they had a chance. And now, there had been a possibility for them to work together, and she didn't want to. Why were her relationships always complicated? "Why you're telling me that?"

"Because I know you're hurt. And believe it or not, but so is he. I could see it. Look Catherine, I don't know what happened between the two of you and it isn't my business.

But both of you looked so much…. Happier without the fighting. If I look back on it. So… Unless it's something you truly can't get over… Try to fix it. You know it's worth it."

Green eyes were staring deeply in Catherine's while she was listening to Warrick's words, thinking about everything he said. No, it wasn't his business. But she was happier with him than without him. And she definitely knew Lou was worth it.

* * *

Catherine knew Vartann's shift hadn't finished yet; she'd seen his car in the parking lot. She'd been thinking about Warrick's words for a while now, and she knew he was right. And what he'd done was so much less important than Eddie had ever done to her. Searching Lou wasn't as easy as she thought it would've been though; he was nowhere to be seen. After almost twenty minutes of Catherine skipping her work and searching for Lou instead, she saw his back standing in the locker room. She felt pretty stupid for not checking there before. Catherine quietly closed the door and stepped a little closer to Tony, who was standing at the total end of the locker room. The moment she wanted to start talking, she heard Lou say: "No, of course I haven't told her about you."

Catherine raised an eyebrow, too curious to hear where Lou was going to continue his previous sentence with. "We're currently… Well, we're having some issues. But I'm sure things will be fine soon."

Now, Catherine was pretty sure Louy was talking about her. When he answered to the person on the other end after a couple of seconds in silence, Catherine's heart almost stopped beating. She heard him say: "No, that doesn't mean I can come and see you more often!"

It seemed as if she heard Eddie talk. The low, muffled voice she heard Lou talk with. The high, pitched voice she heard on the other side of the phone when she listened very carefully. Lou was seeing someone else. Catherine was sure about that. How could he even think about that? Was she really that replacable? She didn't continue listening to Lou's conversation. Instead, she opened the door of the locker room and walked out again.

The door closed with a loud bang, which made Lou spin around and look into the direction of the door. He hadn't seen anyone come in. But the door had been closed after he'd entered it, he was sure about that. He heard his ex-wife talking on the other side of the phone; she'd been calling him three times that day, and every conversation was more annoying. He sighed and decided to continue his conversation, hoping that the woman on the other end of the line would finally be able to understand that their relationship wasn't anywhere near a new shot.

_Note: I hope you liked it, even though the update wasn't very big. Let me know, and I hoop you all look forward to the Weeping Willows chapter! xx. _


	13. Weeping Willows

_Note: Hiiiii, guys! The chapter you've all been waiting for... ;-). First of all, I'd really want to thank all those sweet, loyal reviewers who've reviewed my story so far. I appreciate it so much and I really want to thank you guys for it, it means so much to me! Second, I really hope that this chapter lives up to all your expectations since I know many of you have been waiting for this chapter... I really hope you enjoy it! xx. _

**13. Weeping Willows. **

Catherine was exhausted. Mentally. She'd been busy avoiding Lou for almost two weeks now. And so far, she'd done a great job. Catherine had hoped she would feel better after a couple of weeks. That she would've forget the call and Lou. It had been false hope though; not seeing Lou made her feel terrible. They hadn't talked to each other ever since she'd told him she needed more time. Catherine wasn't sure what she wanted. She did know that she wished she could think about something but Lou for a little longer that ten minutes, something she hadn't succeeded in so far. Catherine needed to get her mind off of the man. And when she saw her two favourite guys walking in front of her in the hallway, she thought of the perfect way to do so. Catherine speeded up a little bit until she was able to put an arm around both Nick and Warrick before she said: "Hey guys. I could really use a drink. You want to join me? I'm buying."

She hopefully looked into Warrick's eyes as he said: "I'd love a drink, but we made plans though."

Catherine couldn't hide her disappointment as she said: "You did?"

"Tomorrow."

Nick agreed on that as he said: "Rain check."

Catherine dropped her arms off of the boys their shoulders as she said: "All right," wondering what she should do now.

* * *

Highball was filled with people, and Catherine was one of them. She was sitting at the bar, talking with a man called Adam Novak. The first thing that had flashed through her mind when he'd said his first words to her, was that he reminded her of Eddie. A slime. Small talk, complimenting her... Yet Eddie had always been able to have some kind of spell on her though, even after their divorce. And that spell was exactly the same kind of spell Adam had on her. He was charming. He made her feel pretty. And she could tell he was flirting with her. She flirted back.

Catherine knew it wasn't Adam she wanted to flirt with her. He wasn't the man she wanted to flirt with. But it felt so nice to not think, to just make herself feel pretty. To make her feel wnated. The time to feel pretty had to end though; she had to get home. Besides, Catherine didn't want to do something stupid just to keep feeling good about herself. No matter how much she'd enjoyed the flirting with Adam, somewhere in the back of her mind, she was whishing it was Lou sitting in front of her. She finished her drink before she said: "Thanks. I needed this."

"If you're blowing me off, no worries." Catherine looked at Adam while he said those words as he opened a matchbook to write down his number in it. He held it in front of her before he said: "But if you're not… Give me a call."

Catherine couldn't reject the card he held in front of her. She put the card in her bag and wanted to leave, but Adam stopped her. "Wait a second. Let me walk you to your car."Catherine knew she should tell him it was okay. That he should stay and have a good night. She let him walk her though.

Their arms brushed while the two left Highball, and Catherine wasn't sure why she had the sudden urge to just walk away. She didn't want to do things she would regret. Things she would do just because she was in pain over a man she truly loved. Things she would do to forget that pain.

The two reached Catherine's car without a word, and Catherine knew now was the time to simply be wise and get into her car. She made the mistake of looking into Adam's eyes though. Apparently, that was his clue of crashing his lips on hers. Catherine didn't complain at first. His lips against her made her feel good. As their tongues started duelling though, she suddenly felt as if she was being brought back to earth. Lou flashed through her mind the moment she met Adam's tongue. She didn't want Adam, she wanted Lou. She loved Lou. At that moment, she pushed Adam away, while she said: "I… I can't do this tonight. I'll call you."

Catherine opened the door of her car, wanting to get away as fast as possible. Adam wasn't pleased with her action though. His eyes looked like fire as he violently closed the door on Catherine and lisped: "What the hell is your problem?"

Catherine saw a perfect replica of Eddie when Adam did that. Agressive when he didn't get his way. She tried to open the door again while she hissed: "Go to hell." She pulled on the door again, a little harder that time. Adam let go of the door at the same moment, causing it to hit Catherine hard in her cheekbone. A groan escaped from her mouth while her hand instinctively went up to her cheekbone. Adam leant in close and whispered: "You're not worth the trouble," before walking away from her.

A loud sigh escaped from Catherine's lips. She was glad the darkhaired man had left. She felt guilty though. On top of that, she was brought back to her past again. Catherine had hoped she'd passed the stage of covering up her bruises a long time ago. But now, she had to do that all over again.

* * *

Catherine's eyes widened as soon as she realised where her crime scene was. She was back on the same scene she'd been just a couple of hours ago; Highball. Being there with Lou next to her didn't make it any easier. Adam's presence flashed through her mind. What made it even harder was that Catherine knew Lou had noticed the cut on her cheek. It wasn't a pretty sight; make-up hadn't been able to cover it up at all. Catherine got out of her car after taking a deep breath, planning on getting as far away from Lou as possible. She tried to walk into the direction of the officer she saw near the entrance of Highball, but she was grabbed by her arm as soon as she stepped out of her car. Catherine knew it was Lou.

"What are you doing!" Catherine's hiss was going unnoticed by Lou as he twisted her so Catherine faced him before he said: "I… I just.. I was worried. I noticed your cheek." He lightly brushed over his own cheek while he said that. "I just wanted to make sure everything's okay."

Catherine's eyes softened as soon as he'd said that, and she wished –for the twentieth time that day,- that last night's events had never taken place. She prayed Lou would never find out about anything. She prayed they could go back to what they had been, without ever bringing up Adam. She stroke his hand lightly with her thumb, enjoying the brief contact they had, before she said: "You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine." She gave him an reassuring smile, what made him let go of her arm, breaking their contact.

Lou raised his eyebrow as he said: "You didn't get that cut on your cheek because you were fine though."

Catherine bit her lip. She didn't want to lie to hem. Telling him the truth sounded even worse at the moment. "I know... I just had an accident in the shower... I'm glad it was my cheek that got hurt, it was stupid. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Lou nodded and looked at Catherine for a couple of seconds before he wanted to walk on. She couldn't let go of him though. Catherine knew she had to do something. If she didn't, she knew it would take a little longer before she would talk to Lou again. She didn't want to stay that long without the man. That was why Catherine stopped him before he could walk away as she asked: "Lou?"

He turned around and when their eyes met, Catherine said: "Maybe….. Can I call you, when we're done with this… I think we have a lot to talk about and I would really like to do that..."

Lou smiled. He couldn't resist the woman in front of him. He had been upset with her for not talking to him or even seeing him for such a long time. Hearing those words made it all okay again though and he said: "I'd like that."

Catherine nodded and softly said: "Me too." Lou nodded at her before nudging his head into the other officer's direction, showing Catherine that it really was time for them to go to their scene.

* * *

"You want to know what happened next? Ask the redhead."

Adam's victorious eyes looked into Catherine's when he spoke those words, and Catherine immediately felt Grissom's and Vartann's eyes on her. She tried to connect her eyes with Lou's, but he looked away immediately as soon as their eyes had met. Catherine knew things were bad. Very, very bad.

* * *

Catherine left Conrad Ecklie's office with a loud sigh. Not only were her actions jeopardizing her already-not-so-good relationship with Lou, it was also affecting her credibility in her job. Lou was more important for her though; she needed to set things straight with him first. The job would be fine eventually. Yes, Gil would be upset with her for a while. But he'd always come around eventually. Lou was another story though. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to tell him. All she knew was that she needed to see him, to see if their issues could be solved after the new things he'd just heard. Catherine found Lou on his own in the locker room. His back was towards her, and Catherine took a deep breath before she found the courage to get in and clear her throat. Lou turned around immediately, but as soon as he saw Catherine, he turned around again, facing his locker instead. It stung Catherine; he couldn't even face her.

"Lou… Please? Can you.. Can you look at me? We should talk…"

Lou wasn't sure he wanted to. He had tried to avoid Catherine after his interrogation with Adam. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to her. What was left to say? They'd been fighting, Catherine needed some time.. And then she'd hooked-up with another guy. Who'd probably given her the cut on her cheek as well. He wanted to take care of Catherine. But he was hurt. And he didn't know if he wanted to talk to Catherine right now. He could feel she was still standing behind him though, not planning on moving away before he'd turned around.

Lou seemed to take hours to turn around again, and when he finally had, Catherine could tell he felt miserable. He looked miserable too. Catherine closed the door of the locker room with her foot before she walked a little closer to Lou and said: "I guess I need to explain some stuff."

Lou shrugged and stated: "Why? We weren't really together, you don't have to explain a thing."

The bitterness in his voice wasn't unnoticed by Catherine and she replied: "Lou, that's not true. Just… Just hear me out, okay? Please.."

Lou simply nodded, not sure if he really want to hear what Catherine had to say. She immediately started talking though, probably aware of the fact that he didn't feel like listening at all. "I know we haven't really talked for quite some time now. I needed some time to think after you'd read everything about me that I really wanted to tell you myself when I was ready for it. Two weeks ago, I had a talk with Warrick, and he'd noticed that I wasn't as happy as I used to be. I then pretty much realised that, even though I didn't like what you had done, I still loved you. And that I still wanted to be with you."

Catherine wanted to continue, but Lou interrupted her as he said: "Well, then why didn't you tell me that?"

"I was getting there. I searched after shift that night, and I found you in the locker room, talking on your phone. I could hear it was a woman's voice on the other end of the line, and.. Well, I don't know, I just thought you were talking to someone… I don't know, someone you were seeing beside me. I was really upset and I don't even know why I doubted you… I didn't dare going back to you again... And then, when I went out this week.. I was thinking about you. I know it sounds lame, but I was. I missed you, I wanted to be with you.. But that Adam guy made me feel so good about myself. It sounds lame, I know… But it's the truth. Nothing really happened in that bar, and when I wanted to leave, he insisted on walking me to me car. I guess that should've been my cue to let him go and leave him behind, but I let him. And then he kissed me. I kissed him back at first, but the first thing that flashed through my mind when I did was you. And then I immediately stopped. Adam wasn't to happy about that." Catherine pointed to the cut on her cheek, and took a deep breath before she continued.

"I now I should've told you about it the minute you asked me about that on the crime scene, but.. I guess I was embarrassed. I'm sorry, Lou. I really am. You're the only man I truly love and want to be with, and I know I made a stupid mistake. I… I just hope you can forgive me."

Lou looked into Catherine's pretty though sad blue eyes, and without thinking, his hand carefully touched the cut on her cheek. His thumb gently stroke the cut and Catherine closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the moment of contact they had even to it hurt to feel his hands in contact with the cut. Lou wanted to tell Catherine everything would be fine. He wanted to explain to her that he'd been talking to his ex-wife on the phone that time she wanted to talk to him. But both didn't seem to trust the other. Both seemed to have such a big history that the other didn't know about. Lou knew he was going to break Catherine's heart. He knew he was going to break his own as well. He couldn't continue loving Catherine without getting hurt. And neither could she continue loving him without him hurting her. That's why he softly whispered: "Cath.. I… Love isn't always enough."

Catherine's blue eyes were getting bigger as she said: "What do you mean?"

Lou took a deep breath before he said: "I mean… Lovee isn't always able to fix problems. Sometimes you need more than just love. And.. I think love isn't enough to fix our problems at this point."

_Note: Liked it? I really hope you did, please let me know! Next update will take a while since I'm off to Spain for a couple of weeks, enjoying my vacation! I hope you can all wait for the next chapter, I know I kinda made this one a cliffhanger... Thanks for reading and I'll update asap! xx._


	14. Iced

_Note: Hi guys, I'm bááááck! I returned from Spain three days ago, and I was so pleased to read all your sweet reviews! So, first of all, I want to thank all of you sweet, lovely, reviewers, who made the time to write me their thoughts about the last chapter. I know you all were looking forward to it, and I'm very happy to read you all liked it. Thank you so much, it means so much to me! Second, I want you all to know that this chapter was quite hard to write. I'm not sure yet that I'm completely satisfied with this chapter, but I'm not sure in what other way I could write it to make sure things work out the way I want it to. Okay, I'm not going to distract you all any longer with my thoughts because I know you all just want to read the next chapter. It's set during season five's Iced, and I really hope you all enjoy it! xx. _

**14. Iced **

Lou walked through the hallway of the police department. There had been a homicide reported over an hour ago, but there hadn't been a CSI at the scene so far. It annoyed him, and since he hadn't been in a very good mood that morning when his shift had started, he know was feeling more irritated than he had been in a while and he should be. He knew it had to do with Catherine. He hadn't talked to her after their conversation a week ago. Lou knew he was the one who'd said he thought their relationship was at an end. But he missed her more than he could've ever imagined. He loved Catherine. But everything had been so complicated, and now, they'd reached a point where they weren't even able to sit in a room together. Lou should push the woman off of his mind though. He needed a investigator now, he had to work.

Every single room Lou checked for an investigator though was empty, until he eventually ran into Conrad Ecklie. He hated the man. But he needed him right now.

"Conrad."

"Detective."

"Homicide called you guys over an hour ago. 4-19 at the Tangiers. No one's responded. Not even the coroner."

Ecklie stopped in front of the reception to check for any messages while he said: "Have you tried Grissom or Catherine?"

Lou knew he was going to lie to Ecklie. But trying to reach Catherine wasn't something he wanted to do. It would only cause so many more problems, and so much more desire. That was why he said: "Catherine's on a case, I think…"

* * *

Catherine actually was on a case. Her mind was somewhere far away from it though. She was on her way to the car with Warrick –who was on the phone,- and her mind wasn't anyway near the crime scene she was about to go to. Lou's words were constantly circling around in her mind. _"Only love isn't always able to fix things. Sometimes you need more than just love. And.. I think love isn't enough to fix our problems at this point." _Catherine knew there were so many issues between the two of them. She didn't know a thing about his former wife or son. He did know things about her past, but she'd wanted to tell him those things herself. Their relationship had been too intense too soon. Things had gotten too complicated too soon. But she loved him so much. Catherine loved Lou so much that it pained her that she wasn't able to see him. Be with him. Kiss him. Touch him. And at this point, being in a room together was already too much. And it hurt her so much.

Warrick knew something was wrong. He could feel one of his best friends was having a hard time, and he wanted to help her. He stopped her before she could get into the car and said: "What's going on with you?"

Catherine looked in Warrick's pretty green eyes, knowing she couldn't hide a thing from him. She tried to anyway. "I don't know what you mean. I'm fine."

Warrick raised an eyebrow and said: "Don't try lying to me. It won't work. You and the detective are having problems again?"

It always surprised Catherine how good Warrick was in knowing what was wrong with her. Or perhaps he was just a very good guesser, she wasn't sure. Either way, she knew she could tell her problems to Warrick. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about it. That was why she said: "I.. Let's just say that things aren't exactly smooth between me and him. Not at all. But I don't really want to discuss it. Let's go, our body's waiting."

"As if it's going anywhere."

Warrick's statement made a soft chuckle escape from Catherine's mouth, and when the two entered the car, Warrick was at least a little satisfied about making Catherine smile for a split second.

* * *

The papers she dropped on to her desk made a bigger noise than she'd expected. A loud sigh escaped from her lips. It had nothing to do with her case; the fact that it included crop circles actually made it somewhat more interesting than a random case. Catherine was tired though. Her problems with Lou weren't doing her any good for her health. She closed her eyes while she massaged her temples, knowing she had a few hours to go before she would be able to head home and get some rest.

Catherine didn't notice the man that was watching her. Lou was standing in the hallway and could see Catherine sitting behind her desk as her door wasn't closed. He could tell she was both tired and sad. The massaging her temple thing was something she always did when she was. He wanted to go to her and massage her shoulders, tell her that everything would be fine… He new he couldn't tell her that though. But Lou hated seeing Catherine feel bad. Especially since he knew that he was probably the biggest cause of it. He slowly walked into the direction of her office, not sure if she wanted to see him.

Lou simply stood in the doorway for a few seconds, watching Catherine for a bit before he softly said: "Can I… Can I help you with something?"

It felt as if electricity was rushing through her body when Catherine heard Lou's voice. Her eyes fluttered open immediately, staring into the direction where she'd heard his voice. He wás standing in the doorway. Her heart started beating faster and faster. Catherine's first reaction was to run away from him as fast as she could, avoiding any kind of contact with the man. Her second reaction though was to let him close the door and kiss him. Catherine knew both weren't an option though. That was why she almost stuttered when she said: "I.. I'm fine. Just… I'm just… Resting.."

A soft chuckle escaped from Lou's lips; the things she said didn't make any sense. He closed the door behind him, knowing the tension between them would only grow. As soon as the door was closed, he heard Catherine say: "Lou, I.. I don't know if you should stay. I don't know if that's a good idea."

Lou walked to her desk and casually lend against it while he said: "Neither am I. I just… I'm worried. You look so tired… So tense."

Sarcasm was dripping over Catherine's sentence as she said: "Yeah, well, I bet you don't have a clue of what could've possibly made me so tired."

He nodded and when he looked up in Catherine's way, their eyes met. He then said: "I know what happened wasn't what you had in mind. It wasn't what I had in my mind either. I just think…" Lou ran a hand through his hair and felt his heart break when he saw the vulnerability in Catherine's eyes. With his voice a little more unsteady, he said: "I think there are so many things that make a relationship between us so complicated. There are so many things we don't know about each other, we have our jobs… But.. I want you. I want to be with you so bad. Every single day without knowing you would be waiting for me was terrible. I… I miss you."

Catherine looked like she was about to cry, but instead, she said: "Lou.. We can't do this here. We're working."

Lou nodded and softly said: "I know that... But I need you to know that I just hate seeing you like this, knowing I'm the cause of it. And even worse, knowing that I am the one who is able to fix it."

A ironic chuckle escaped from Catherine lips as she said: "Don't give yourself too much credit, will you?"

"But it's true, isn't it?"

There eyes met again, and as soon as Catherine felt their connection, she knew that Lou was perfectly aware of what she wanted. What she needed. She got out of her chair, and placed herself in front of Lou. His hand immediately reached for her cheek, and she placed her hand on his before she almost whispered: "Can't we try? Can't we just talk first? Tell each other all the things we need to tell, getting to know each other better than we did? We shouldn't let things end the way they did. What we have… Had… Was way too precious for that."

Lou nodded. He wanted to say something, tell her she was right. Tell her that he wanted to do everything to make things right. He couldn't say a word though. All the words he wanted to say seemed to be only air when he opened his mouth. He wanted to kiss her so bad. He wanted to feel her lips on his, taste her mouth… Lou was about to lock Catherine's lips with his when a knock on the door made both of them jump apart.

The door opened not even a second after they'd jumped away from each other. Catherine pretended to read a file from her desk while Lou looked into the direction of the door. Both were surprised to see Conrad Ecklie in Catherine's doorway. Ecklie gave a small nod in Catherine's direction before he said: "Vartann, I need you. We have a lead."

Lou nodded and said: "I'll be right there, just need to discuss something with Catherine."

Ecklie raised an eyebrow and said: "About what?"

Lou looked at Catherine, not able to come up with a decent excuse in time. He was surprised of how steady and secure Catherine's voice sounded when she said: "Nothing special Conrad, I just need him to check something about a former case. You go wait for him in the hallway, will you?"

Conrad couldn't ignore Catherine's deadly glare and turned around, closing the door again and leaving the two together again.

The two locked eyes again and Lou questioned: "Why is it that Ecklie always ruins the good things?"

Catherine smiled, not a convincing one, but it was a smile, and she said: "I guess that's just who he is. He can't help it. You should go…"

Lou nodded. "I know. I… Can I call you when I'm finished?"

"That's fine."

Lou wanted to walk away, but turned around again to look at Catherine, who was still looking at him. He could tell she still wasn't totally convinced about everything they'd just said. "Cath… We'll make it work. I know we can."

She tried to smile at him and said: "I know we can. I… I just hope we do. I really want us to."

"Me too."

They stood there for a couple of seconds, just looking at each other. All Lou saw was the most gorgeous woman he'd ever met, knowing she loved him. Knowing that this woman was the only one he wanted to spent his life with, no matter how difficult it would be. He gave her a small smile before he turned around again and left her office, knowing he had to go to Ecklie before he started getting suspicious.

Catherine looked after the man she loved. She knew she loved him. And, despite of him saying that sometimes love wasn't enough to fix all problems, she knew she would make the biggest effort to make their relationship work. He was all she wanted in a man. She knew that there were some difficult things she needed to tell him. After all, her drug addiction wasn't the only terrible thing that had happened to her in her life. But Catherine knew she would do everything she could to make their relationship as good as it could.

_Note: *Hoping I didn't dissapoint you with this*. Please let me know if you enjoyed it! xx. _


	15. Bodies in motion

_Note: Hi all, sorry for the slow update, but I'm so busy with enjoying my summer! Please enjoy this next chapter, set during Bodies in Motion! xxx._

**14. Bodies in motion**

Catherine couldn't help but being happy about the team being back together again. The fact that she and Warrick were abandoned from their former crime scene didn't make her feel any worse though. It was nice to have everyone back together. And working with Warrick had never been bad. Warrick had been one of Catherine's best friends ever since they'd been working together. Looking at him had never been bad either. Warrick was talking to officer Da Michaels while Catherine stood next to him, watching Vartann. She felt somewhat uncomfortable. They had been trying to console their relationship for a while now, but somehow, every time they were trying to get a little closer, something came up and ended their date early. It annoyed both of them; things weren't going the way they wanted it to. Catherine tried not to look at Vartann, and was when he started talking to them about the case.

"Squad car found her about an hour ago, no ID, but there's a lot of homeless in this area."

Catherine listened to Vartann, and tried not to look too much at him instead of the crime scene. When Warrick kneeled down to take pictures of the victim, Catherine turned on her flashlight and looked at the wounded young woman that was laying on the ground. Vartann said: "Looks like somebody took something to her head. Didn't find a weapon, but my guys are still looking."

Catherine then noticed the shopping bag the victim was wearing. She read what was on it and then said: "A shopping bag for a shirt, rubber boots and g-string. A homeless stripper?"

Warrick looked at the bag and answered: "Well, this is g-string row, isn't it?" His hand rested on his forehead, and it was then that Catherine noticed the ring on his ringfinger. A little shock that was filled with both curiousity and dissapointment ran through her vains before she said: "Why is there a ring on your ring finger?"

"Because I'm married."

Catherine couldn't hide the shock she was feeling and her mouth dropped open before she said: "What?"

Her shock didn't go unnoticed by both Warrick and Vartann. Vartann tried to avoid the somewhat uncomfortable moment and joked: "Congratulations! How much did you pay her?" Warrick chuckled while Vartann shook his hand, and then serious added: "No, seriously, good luck with that man, I didn't even know you had a girlfriend."

Vartann tried to look at Catherine when Warrick answered: "Oh yeah, it's a girl I've been dating a couple of months, Tina."

Catherine heard herself ask Warrick another question, but her mind wasn't even there anymore. Warrick was married. It wasn't as if she didn't want him to be happy. She did want him to be. But Warrick was… Well, Warrick was Warrick. One of her best friends, with whom she'd always been flirting, and who'd always flirted back. It felt strange to know that he had actually someone who was waiting for him at home. Catherine wished she had someone to wait for her at home. A certain Lou Vartann, in particular.

Lou listened as Warrick told Catherine about his wedding. When David came, Warrick started walking to him and Lou looked at Catherine. He wasn't sure what her face was telling him. What he did know though, was that she seemed everything but happy about the fact that Warrick got married.

* * *

_**Where are you? I need to talk to you. x.**_

Catherine stared at Lou's message, not sure if she wanted to text him back. She had this feeling that he wanted to talk about the way she'd reacted to Warrick's news earlier, and she wasn't sure if she felt like talking about it to him. Catherine knew though that, when Lou wanted to find her, he usually was able to do so. That was why she texted: _**I'm in the break room. Almost done though, busy with the case. x. **_

Too bad for Catherine though, Lou was near the break room and in less than a minute, he was standing next to her. His greyish eyes pierced right through hers when he said: "Hey.. I want to talk. Do you have a minute?"

Catherine looked around in the break room, but didn't see anyone else. She knew that she had to face the man eventually about her reaction towards Warrick's marriage. She slowly nodded and said: "I guess…"

Lou sat down next to Catherine on the couch and said: "I noticed your reaction towards Warrick earlier… About him marrying someone… It felt as if, I don't know… As if you were disappointed. I'm just wondering what was going on."

While she slowly finished her coffee, Catherine tried to decide what the best thing was she could tell, since she was sure that Lou probably wouldn't be happy if she told him she'd always been somewhat attracted to Warrick. Not in the way she was to Lou, but still. It hurt her that Warrick hadn't even mentioned a girlfriend to her. She took a deep breath and said: "I… I.. I'm not sure what to tell you. Warrick and I…. We've been friends ever since he came here. We've always had this, this connection, I don't know how to describe it. I just… I wish he would've told me he'd been dating someone."

Lou trusted Catherine. But he had the feeling that she wasn't telling the truth. "Cath… Is that all?"

She took another deep breath. How in the world was Lou able to see through her in all the moments she wish he wouldn't? She shook her head and whispered: "Lou, this isn't the right place…"

"You like him, don't you?"

His eyes pierced right through hers and Catherine tried to reform his words as she said: "Of course I like him, he's one of my best friends!"

A sigh escaped from Lou's lips before he said: "Cath, please… Don't lie to me."

Catherine got out of her seat and put her coffee cup in the sink, avoiding Lou's gaze as she said: "Can't we talk after shift? Come to my place, then we can talk in private?"

She waited for him to answer, but Lou didn't say a word. When she turned around to see why he didn't answer her question, she saw he was gone.

* * *

"_The thing that makes a fantasy great is the possibility that it might come true. And when you lose that possibility… It just kinda sucks." _Lou heard Catherine's voice saying those words constantly in his head. He'd overheard her and Warrick talk in the evidence room, and he wasn't sure what exactly she'd meant with that. He hadn't talked to Catherine after their conversation in the break room. He was annoyed with the way Catherine handled his question and had walked away when she'd turned around to put her cup away. Nevertheless he was on his way to her house, now only caring about what exactly had been going on between her and Warrick.

He could read the surprise on Catherine's face when she opened the door and saw him standing there. She was dressed in grey jogging pants and a black tank top and looked as if she hadn't planned on having a visitor that night. She still looked gorgeous though. Surprise filled her voice as she said: "Hey… I didn't expect to see you here."

Lou shrugged and said: "I figured. I just needed to talk to you. Can I come in?"

Catherine stepped aside so Lou could pass her. A small shudder went down her spine when their bodies touched; she missed him so much. Every single body touch was able to make her heart skip a beat. She wasn't quite sure what he wanted to talk about though. "You want something to drink?"

Lou sat down on the couch and spotted Catherine's wine glass that was still filled with red wine. "Just some water's okay."

He sat down in silence until Catherine returned with a glass of water and the entire bottle of wine. She handed him the glass and then sat down on the couch next to Lou with her legs folded under her. "So, what do you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I… I just want you to tell me about you and Warrick. What… What is going on between the two of you, or what has been going on with you in the past.. I don't want to offend you, but I feel as if there are so many things going on between the two of you that I don't know about and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I.. I heard the way you talk to him in the evidence room today, telling him something about fantasies." Lou saw Catherine's face change when he said those things and had the feeling she was getting angry. "I know I shouldn't eavesdrop on you but I couldn't help it. I'm sorry about that."

Catherine could feel she was about to get angry. But knowing that Lou tried to be reasonable since he could've been mad as hell after listening to her conversation with Warrick, she figured that wouldn't be a good plan. She bit her lip, trying to let the anger pass as she said: "I'm sorry you heard that. I can imagine what that must've sound like. You know, back in the day, and I mean way back in the day, Warrick helped me with so many things. He and Grissom… They helped me with Lindsey, with Eddie… Warrick was always there for me when I had problems with Eddie. Warrick knows so many things about me that you and I have never discussed. Things we should've discussed, I guess. Warrick and I have never been a couple, we've never even kissed. He's just… He's my friend. And I do think he's attractive, and cute. And yes, we like to flirt. But he's not you."

There were two reactions spinning around in Lou's head. He could either be the jealous guy and get angry with Catherine for being honest, or he could listen to her.

He scooted over a little bit so his body touched Catherine's and softly said: "Tell me. I want you to tell me everything about you, as long as you want to tell me."

Catherine nodded and grabbed his hand. She squeezed it lightly before she took a deep breath and started talking.

_Note: I hope you enjoyed it, please let me know if you have the time! xx._


	16. A Bullet Runs Through It Pt 1

_Note: Hi everyone, thanks so much for the sweet reviews you all sent me, I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter! Here's the next one! I know it ain't very case-related, but there's so much going on between Catherine and Vartann that the case wasn't that interesting to include ;-). Please enjoy this chapter! xx._

**16. A Bullet Runs Through It (Pt. 1)**

"You know it's gonna be a long shift when you get the call to respond to a command post."

Grissom answered to Catherine's comment with a simple "Yeah" and then said to Warrick, whom he was talking to on the phone: "Warrick… We need everyone from grave. But Park on Wall Street. Jefferson's taped off all the way back to Lincoln."

Catherine and Grissom walked up to Vartann, who was standing in the back of a van. While Vartann said: "The suspect was last seen running south," his eyes met briefly with Catherine's. She gave him a small smile, one that would go unnoticed by everyone but Vartann. They'd been out for dinner the night before, and both were glad on how they were making progress in their relationship, though they hadn't slept together yet or even spent the night. Right now, they had to focus on this extreme case. One which would probably be more complicated and pointed out in the media than they'd had in a long time.

* * *

Catherine wasn't sure why she was the one chosen to be witnessing the interview Ortega was having with both Sophia and Jim. She did know that she hated it. Seeing Jim almost cry during his interrogation made the tears welling up in her eyes. Knowing that she couldn't comfort him was terrible. He was her friend and he was now being interrogated as if he was some cold blood murderer. Catherine knew she had to go over all the details with Sophia again later as well, and she wasn't looking forward to that either. She was glad Ortega wanted a break after Jim's interrogation, since that was exactly what she needed. As soon as she'd found some private space, she called Vartann. She could hear he was still outside when he said: "Vartann."

"Hey, it's me, are you busy?"

"I'm on my way to my car, actually. It's crazy out here, all these people.. It's insane."

Catherine could only imagine what kind of a mess it would be like in the streets. People hated the police, and this incident was a perfect example to held against the police. "It must be terrible.." She suddenly felt stupid for calling Lou about feeling bad for Jim while he was surrounded by angry people. "You know, I'm sorry for calling you, you're probably busy. I'll call back later."

"No, no, it's okay, Catherine. I'm on my way to the station. Is everything all right?"

"I.. Could you.. Can you come and find me when you're in the building and have time? I… I'd really like to see you."

Lou could hear Catherine was upset and answered: "Of course I can. I'll call you when I'm there."

* * *

While Lou was on his way to the police department, he started thinking about his conversation with Catherine earlier that week. They'd been so honest with each other that night; they'd seen the sun rise that morning. She'd told him about the first time she'd been on her own in Vegas, and how she'd end up working in the French Palace as an exotic dancer to earn the money she needed. She'd talked about meeting Eddie, and how much she'd loved him. As long as he was sober. He could easily bring up the words she'd said at a certain point in the conversation. _"Eddie loved women. He didn't care about me any more than he did for all the other women he slept with. What he did care about was Lindsey though; I guess that's the only reason why I was worth more than any of those other girls. I'd carried his child, gave birth to his child... He has never hurt Lindsey, never. I wish he would've been as good of a husband as he was a father. It's not like we only had bad times. We've done some pretty good stuff together too. It just... It just wasn't what it was supposed to be." _

It had hurt Lou to hear her talk like that, knowing how terrible Eddie had made her feel back in the day. When she'd started talking about her addiction, and the abuse, tears had formed in his eyes as well. The worst part though was when Catherine admitted that, long after her divorce with Eddie, she still had a weakness for him. That she still was somehow able to love him. Lou couldn't understand that. How in the world was a woman able to love a man who'd abused her?

Lou had been trying to convince Catherine to get some sleep after everything she'd told him, but she'd insisted him on telling her about himself. He knew his life seemed nothing compared to what Catherine had been through. But telling him about how he'd met his first wife, who he had married mainly because she was pregnant and he'd felt responsible, was nice. It felt nice to be able to trust her. He knew they had grown towards each other again that night. And he prayed that they would continue on doing that."

"Vartann, I was just looking for you!" Lou tried to pretend he hadn't heard Conrad talking to him, but somehow, the man managed to keep up with him. With aversion, Lou turned around and said: "What do you need, Conrad?"

Louy kept his eye on Catherine's office –where he saw her sitting behind her desk,- while Conrad said: "Can't we discuss this in my office?"

"I'm sorry, Conrad, but I'm very busy with our case right now so unless it can wait I'd like you to tell me what you need to tell me now."

Ecklie raised his eyebrow, sensing the annoyance in Vartann's voice, before he said: "Fine. You're probably not going to like this, but I need you on a case outside of our county. It can take up to a month, maybe two, depends on a lot of things. Come see me in my office when you've finished your case."

Ecklie left Lou with a face that looked like a question mark. Lou wasn't sure what exactly Conrad had been talking about. He knew that he didn't like it though. He decided to not tell Catherine about it until he'd seen Ecklie later. When he entered Catherine's office, he could see she wasn't busy with work. She was just staring at a blank paper. When he knocked on the door to get her attention, she almost jumped. Catherine smiled though when she saw him, but as soon as Lou had closed the door he could see she was about to cry.

Catherine almost jumped into hus arms when he stood in front of her. He immediately pulled her into a hug. Her arms were tight around his neck while Lou could hear soft sobs. Lou was surprised with Catherine's sudden cries and gently stroke her hair before he pulled her away so he could look in her eyes and said: "Hey, what's the matter? Tell me.."

Catherine's eyes locked with Lou's, and before Catherine started talking about how she felt about the interrogation with Jim and Sophia, Lou flashed through her mind for a short second. She was glad things were getting better again. Very glad.

"I don't want to make you feel awful too... It's just... This case, Jim. I'm upset. I hate this, those people talking to Jim as if he's a freaking murderer... It's just so unfair."

She let out soft cries in between, while Lou had been trying to wipe away her tears. It hadn't been a success though as the tears kept flowing anyway. He decided to instead just get her into his embrace. He didn't care about the stains he'd get on his shirt, he didn't care about the question that would be asked later about the stains... He just wanted to comfort Catherine. The thing Ecklie'd just told him completely disappeared to the back of his mind. Making Catherine feel better was all that mattered now.

_Note: Hoped you liked the tiny little moment between Cath and Vartann. Let me know if you liked it! xx._


	17. A Bullet Runs Through It Pt 2

_Note: Hi guys! Fast updates, huh ;-). I've had so much inspiration the last couple of days, I can't believe it...! Thanks for the sweet reviews, I'm glad you're still enjoying this story and it means a lot to me to read you guys like my writing! Here's the next chapter, please enjoy! xx._

**17. A Bullet Runs Through It (Pt. 2)**

Vartann knew it was bad, very bad. Their prime suspect, their only living suspect, was killed. Right in front of them. And now he had to tell the undersheriff about it. He knew the man would be pissed about it. Although he wasn't too happy about that, Lou was more upset about another upcoming task. He was more afraid of Catherine's reaction when he would tell her about his upcoming absence. Ecklie had told him the specific details of the case earlier that morning, only a few minutes ago. He wanted to go to Catherine immediately, but the undersheriff needed his attention first. The man was walking next to him, and was absolutely pissed about the news. "Are you seriously telling me our only live suspect, a cop killer, was gunned down in your custody?"

Catherine saw Vartann walking away from undersheriff McKeen, not looking too pleased. When he walked near the room she was in, she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the break room. Lou was about to start a rant when he smelled Catherine's scent and realized it was her who'd pulled him into the room. "Hey! You look like crap."

Lou chuckled after hearing Catherine's dry comment and said: "Well, always nice to know that I look nice."

A smile appeared on Catherine's lips before she said: "You still look good anyway."

They were silent for a few seconds, in which Tony realized he was in a very tiny room, that was filled with surplice for the labtechs. "What were you doing in here, Catherine?"

She shrugged and said: "I was looking for something I needed and then saw you walking here, not looking too pleased. I figured you might wanted to talk to me. Perfect place to do some talking... And other stuff, don't you think."

He smiled, pressing the bad news to the back of his head as closed the door with his foot before he said: "I do need to tell you something. But I have this feeling that this room can indeed be used for so many other things."

Lou moved a little closer to Catherine until he felt her hand on his chest before she whispered: "Lou… Maybe we shouldn't do this now. It's... Slightly... Innapropriate." Catherine did want to kiss Lou, despite of the words she'd just uttered. There were a lot of other things she liked to do with him as well. But she wanted to move slow. Very slow. And perhaps moving slow didn't include making out during work. But she could feel Lou's heart race, and knew he was longing for her just as much as she did. His hand touched her face before he softly said: "I really want to kiss you. I bet it would make me feel better."

Catherine chuckled and whispered: "You're irresistible and you know it, don't you? And telling me something like that... You know I'd do anything to make you feel better." She then put her hands around his neck and kissed his lips lightly. Their soft, tender kiss quickly turned into something more passionate, in which their tongues dueled as if there was no tomorrow. Lou's hands pulled against Catherine's shirt until he was able to touch her skin on her back, his motions sending shivers throughout Catherine's entire body. Lou's body was now completely pressed against hers and she could feel his erection pressing against her thigh. When both needed to break the kiss to catch some air, Catherine seductively said: "Bet you feel better now."

Lou answered her with another kiss. He secretly wished they could stay into that closet forever, knowing that would mean he never had to tell her about his assignment for which he had to leave. He knew that wasn't a choice though.

* * *

"You what!"

Lo had figured that Catherine wouldn't be too happy about his leave, but the darkness in her eyes definitely revealed that she was more upset about his sudden upcoming absence then he'd thought. "I'm sorry Catherine, it surprised me as well. Ecklie… I don't know why he picked me."

"Oh I do, because he's an ass!" Catherine sighed again, and an even louder sigh came out of her moth when her pager went off. Lou patiently waited as Catherine looked at the message. "Oh God, as if he knows we are talking about him… It's Ecklie. He wants do go over some video tapes from the Donut Shop. Great, just great." Frustration was visible as she said: "We're going to talk about this later though. Come see me tonight, after shift, okay? My place."

Lou nodded before Catherine grabbed his hand for a split second and caressed his skin. She then walked away from him, leaving him behind in her office, knowing she would have to stay calm during her work with Ecklie.

It annoyed her. It annoyed her a lot. Catherine usually didn't see Ecklie during her job. And it irritated her that she, again, had to work with him. While she looked into the delivery box she was examining, he was standing next to her. She tried to pretend it was Nick, or Warrick, hoping the irritated feeling would slide, as she said: "You know, based on the dates of these address labels, it appears that Carlos and Bianca were receiving two to three drug shipments a day."

"So, the dogs hit on the boxes?" Catherine wanted to yell at Conrad for being the asshole he was, sending Vartann away for a long time, but she knew it would only cause more problems for her and Lou. That was why she sweetly but sad answered: "Yes, and Narco found trace amounts of cocaine, for whatever that's worth. Well, the return addresses are all bogus, the couple is not talking and all four suspects are dead. There's nothing more we can do."

* * *

"It's sad, isn't it? Poor Jim, he has to live with this for the rest of his life.." Catherine and Lou were sitting on the couch, a glass of wine and water in front of them, and Catherine's head currently resting in Lou's lap. He gently stroke her hair and answered: "I know. It's not his fault though. It.. It happened."

"I know."

They hadn't discussed Lou's upcoming absence, but both knew they had to bring up the subject eventually. After a short silence, Catherine lifted herself from his ap so she could sit on the same level as he was and then said: "So, I guess you should tell me something more about this… Thing. Why are you the one leaving again?"

Lou shrugged and said: "I don't know. Well, Ecklie claims it's because I'm one of the most experienced detective's in our department, and it's apparently a high profile case. I don't know anything about the case either, all Ecklie told me was that I'm heading off to a small town near Austin and have to work the case with several others. I tried to convince him I wasn't the right person, but he claimed that I was the only right person to do it. I… I just couldn't get away from it. I'm sorry, I don't want this. I have to. It was either this or losing the job..."

"I know… I just wished you wouldn't. We're finally doing better. I wanted to continue that." The upset look Catherine had had on her face had softened, but she still looked upset.

"Me too. And we're still going to do that. I guess that, for now though, we have to do that a little further apart…"

Lou hated the look of sadness in Catherine's eyes, knowing he was once again the cause of it. He wanted to say something, but she beat him as she said: "When are you leaving?"

"Next Wednesday. So we have a little less than a week before I'm gone."

Catherine wanted to cry. A week? One single week? She wanted Lou to be with her, to stay with her, but she knew it was simply impossible. She figured that all she could do was make the best of the time they'd left. That was why, instead of crying, she said: "I guess we should make the best of those last couple of days that you're here then."

Lou nodded, not too sure what she meant. It was soon very clear to him though when she grabbed his glass of water out of his hands and put in on the table, before she settled herself on his lap, her legs on both sides of his body and her lips planted on his. Catherine's hands grabbed the hem of his shirt, planning on getting rid of it as soon as possible. Lou stopped her though, and looked into her eyes. He could tell she was sad. But the passion and love in her eyes told him more than words could, and before he kissed her again he said: "We're not doing things too fast?"

Catherine shook her head and whispered: "No. Not at all."

After those words, Lou's shirt was pulled over his head immediately while Catherine's hands roamed over his beautiful body. His hands re-discovered the skin under Catherine's top, and soon, that top was thrown somewhere in the living room as well. Lou unclasped her bra and revealed her soft breasts. Catherine squirmed softly when his mouth covered one of her nipples. He moved his lips over her collarbone and up to her neck while Catherine moved herself a little bit so she could feel his hardened penis, that was pressing against Lou's jeans, eagerly waiting for it to be freed. Catherine smiled and said: "I think we should move upstairs. Little bit more comfortable."

Lou nodded, but didn't let go of Catherine yet. He kissed her one last time on her lips, and then said: "I love you, Catherine."

"I love you too."

_Note: I hope you liked it! Please let me know if you did, xxx._


	18. Bang Bang

_Note: Hi all, thanks for the sweet reviews! This chapter was so hard to write, I do hope it lives up to your expectations. Please enjoy! xx._

**18. Bang Bang.**

She was in his arms again. After almost six months, Catherine felt Lou's arms around her again. His case took much longer than they had expected. She'd missed him more than she could've imagined. Finding him at her place when she'd returned from her shift had been a huge surprise though; he hadn't told her he would be back. She'd been so happy, knowing he was back for good. Feeling him so close to her felt so much better then the phonecalls they'd shared. She was ecstatic.

Meanwhile, Lou too felt great to have the warm body of the woman he loved against his own again. Catherine had fallen asleep soon after their heads had hit their pillows. He could hear her soft, steady breaths and it felt so familiar. He still hadn't caught sleep though. Catherine had been so thrilled about his return. He couldn't count the times she'd told him how glad she was that he'd been back forever. Little did she know he was about to hurt her again by telling her about what would be happening in a couple of days. He should've told her immediately when he'd seen her, but he simply couldn't. She had been so thrilled to see him again. And vice versa too of course. Telling it to her now though would probably be even harder.

* * *

Working with Catherine was always a delight. Especially when they were together, without any officer or colleague from Catherine. They could flirt as much as they liked and he was able to look at her every single second. There was nothing more Lou wanted right now than push Catherine against the car and kiss her; she looked so good. When Lou was positive no one was around, he quickly grabbed her hand and gave her a quick kiss. He could tell Catherine was a little flabbergasted, but very quick, she recovered from that and said: "For what did I deserve such pleasure?"

He could feel her squeeze his hand for a second while he answered: "You look so pretty. You just deserved it."

Catherine chuckled and while their arms brushed together, they walked to a tour office. Catherine read its name out loud. "Tour Historic Las Vegas."

Catherine's comment made him say: "History in Vegas gets imploded."

"It's probably just a drive past the Flamingo where the Bugsy Seagel took his leak."

That comment made Lou laugh though; he loved Catherine so much. He loved her hair, he loved her lips, he loved her eyes, he loved her kiss, he loved her jokes, he loved her personality.. He loved everything about her. How the hell had he been able to end up in a situation in which he could do nothing but hurt her?

* * *

As soon as Catherine heard her front door slam, she got out of her chair and walked to the front door. She knew it was Lou. She'd left the department earlier than he had, and had been waiting eagerly for him to come home. Having him back with her again made her feel twenty times better then usual. She felt happier, lighter... Everything just seemed so much brighter. It sounded like a cheesy love story, but it was the actual truth. The smile she had plastered on her face when she saw the handsome man hang up his coat didn't go unnoticed by the detective either. After Lou had put down his suitcase, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on his mouth, loving the taste of his lips. She parted his lips with her own tongue and their tongues dueled for a while before Lou broke their kiss and brought his hand up to caress Catherine's cheek while he smiled and said: "That's a good welcome home."

Catherine smiled, her hands still around his neck while she said: "I know. I missed you."

Lou nuzzled her neck for a bit, smelling a mix of her perfume, her strawberry-vanilla shampoo and a scent that could only be described as pure Catherine. His favorite smell in the world. He inhaled deeply before he whispered in her ear: "I missed you too."

He knew he had to tell her about his job tonight. He would be leaving in three days, unless the case they were currently working on would become a major mystery and he was needed in Vegas. If not, he would be in Philadelphia. He would be a detective on the whole other side of the United States. Catherine started kissing his neck, and though he had to admit that he would rather pick her up and carry her upstairs, he knew he had to talk to her. He gave in for a few seconds though, enjoying the wet kisses she placed in his necks as his hands cupped her bottom. Lou tried to stop her as he said: "Cath, I need to tell you something."

Catherine moved her lips up to his ear instead of stopping, nibbling at its lobe for a second before she said: "Tell me later. I really want to be with you right now." Lou wanted the exact same thing. He knew he should b thinking of the right way to tell Catherine he really needed to talk though. It was then that he felt her hand move to his already grown penis. She stroke his jeans on the place gently before she added: "And don't tell me you don't want to right now."

Lou couldn't resist it. He knew he had to talk to her. But the woman that was now staring into his eyes looked so incredibly sexy. The slight blush on her cheeks told him she was just as aroused as he was. He couldn't resist. He'd missed her so much. It had been so long since they'd been together like that. He'd been yearning for her for months. He stretched his arms and pulled Catherine harsh against him before he pressed his lips on hers for a second. He then lifted her up from the ground, and with soft yells and chuckles from Catherine, he carried her up to her bedroom, planning on letting free all the feelings he'd been forced to hide for months.

* * *

It wasn't until the next day that Lou had finally found a chance to talk to Catherine. In private. They were having breakfast together, at his place this time. He knew he had to tell her about the job right now. But she looked so happy. It killed Lou to knew he was about to ruin that happiness. "I'm so happy you're back, Lou... I think I can say it a thousand times more... It's just... I'm just happy. It's been long since I've felt like this."

Catherine lifted a piece of French toast into her mouth and that was the moment Lou took a deep breath, knowing he was about to change their lives. In a bad way. "Catherine," he started, knowing he would get her attention. She looked into his eyes and answered: "Yeah?"

"I need to tell you something. Please don't interrupt until I'm finished. I… I don't want to tell you this. I wish I didn't have to."

Catherine's face changed to a concerned, somewhat scared look as Lou started talking. She could sense what he was about to say was far from fun or exciting. "I know you're aware of most department policy… The ones that say detectives have to change departments every couple of years. I'd always thought that policy didn't apply in Vegas since, like, Jim has been there for ages. But apparently… It does. Whenever Ecklie feels like it."

Lou saw Catherine's face getting confused. He wished he wouldn't have to continue. He knew he had. He grabbed her hand and held it as he said: "Ecklie called me when I was in Austin. Bastard didn't even dare to tell it to me in my face. Apparently, I was one of the detectives who had to move. I talked to him, assured him that I wouldn't cause any problems as long as I wouldn't be placed too far away from Las Vegas. Ecklie told me that wouldn't be a problem… A week before I returned back home, he'd sent me an email. Strictly confidential, it said. In that email, he said that he'd tried his best, but hadn't been able to place me anywhere near Vegas. In fact, he'd placed me on the other side of our country…"

Catherine's face told Lou everything he needed to know; her eyes were red and her face looked as if she was about to burst into tears. Her face was one of utter schock and confusion. Lou lost his words immediately, hating to see Catherine again so upset. There was a short silence, and then Catherine sniffed and said: "I assume you're done?"

He nodded, his sudden dry throat restraining him from saying any words. A tear slid down Catherine's face before she said: "I… You're joking, aren't you? You can't leave me, not again. Please… I love you. I want you here, with me." Catherine knew she sounded like a desperate housewife. But she knew their relationship would be doomed if they would end up living on the other side of the country.

Her begging eyes made Lou's face turn pale; he knew Catherine felt devastated. Lou broke their contact as he stood up and sat down on the chair next to Catherine's instead. She looked at him first, her eyes darker then usual as she whispered: "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why... Why didn't you tell Ecklie to go to hell and demand he changed it?" Catherine new the last thing was unfair. She just felt so helpless, so... Lonely already, knowing he would leave her so soon again.

"I'm so sorry... I was so happy to be here with you, to see you. To see you being so happy. I wanted to hold that feeling as long as possible... I know I shouldn't have. It just... It just felt so good."

Catherine nodded, not caring anymore about it. Him leaving was more important then him telling it to her fairly late. Her head fell immediately to his shoulder, and at that same moment, tears started streaming down her face. He stroke her hair while he said: "I'm so sorry… I tried to change it. I really did. I tried everything. I can't do anything… Except quitting my job."

"I'm not going to ask that from you." Catherine tried to sit up and looked at him. "Lou… We.. What about us? How are we going to be able to continue our relationship when I'm here and you're on the other side of the country? I can't leave this place... I've got Lindsey, my mom.. I just can't."

"I know."

Both let out a deep sigh. "I love you, Lou."

"I love you too."

They were silent for a while until Catherine whispered: "We have to try, Lou. We have to try to make it work."

He nodded while he turned his head to face Catherine. He cupped Catherine's face with his hands and their eyes locked. The eyes Lou had loved the first time he had seen them. The sparkle he'd loved was nowhere to be found right now though.

Catherine knew she would always adore Lou's grayish green eyes. She loved him. She loved every single part about him. Without a word, Lou pressed his lips against Catherine's. Catherine's hands flew around his neck while tears started falling down her face again. Lou kissed her neck once before he said: "Come. Let's sit down somewhere more comfortable."

The couple moved to his living room and they sat down on his couch. Catherine nestled herself in Lou's arms. He held her tight, kissing her neck every once in a while. They sat in silence, both sighing every now and then. After a couple of minutes, Catherine turned herself so she could face Lou and said: "I really, really love you, Lou."

"I love you too, honey." He kissed her lips again, before she turned herself again and settled in Lou's arms. They knew things were about to change in a horrible way. They didn't have a clue of what was in store for them. But both knew they would never stop loving each other. No matter what.

**_Note: Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you liked it, I really appreciate it! xx._**


	19. Art Imitates Life

_Note: Next chapteeer! Sorry for taking so long to update.. I don't have this season on dvd yet, and I couldn't find any transcripts on the internet so it was a little harder than usual to use conversations from this episode, Art Imitates Life, in this chapter. Please enjoy! xx._

**19. Art Imitates Life**

A call from the Las Vegas Police Department was the last thing Lou had expected. But there had been a call. And that call was spinning through his mind for almost twenty-four hours now. Jim Brass, his former co-worker had called him. He'd told him about the tragic death of Warrick Brown. The man who'd been one of the best friends of the woman Lou loved. The woman he hadn't seen in at least two years. And now, he was offered a job, back in Vegas. Back in the same town as the woman that had never been out of his head. Lou wasn't able to sleep; Catherine was constantly in his head. He hadn't talked to her for more than a year now. He wasn't sure what exactly was going on between him and the woman he adored. He did know though that he'd never stopped loving her. Even without speaking to her, his love for her had never left. Catherine was the only woman he'd been thinking of for two years. He had been flirting with the blonde girl from the diner, yeah. A few months ago, after not speaking to Catherine for months, he'd kissed the brunette receptionist from his department. But none of them could compete with Catheine, the red-haired woman he truly loved.

* * *

Rumor was saying that Lou Vartann would return to Las Vegas. Catherine wasn't sure if she believed those rumors. However, Catherine immediately felt an annoying yet nervous feeling inside her belly. On one hand, she would love to see him again. She'd never stopped loving him; she'd simply learned to live without him, his presence and his love. It had been hard and tough and she'd hated him for not comig back to her as her love had never disappeard. On the other hand, she wished he would just stay away, knowing his return would cause many, many sleepless nights and even more confusing feelings. There were a lot of words left to say after their last conversation and Catherine knew those upcoming conversations would hurt her and Lou a lot. There was however a big chance that it was just a rumor though, so Catherine wasn't counting on anything. Perhaps it was all a lie. But a little voice kept nagging in her head, telling her there were a lot of hard talks about to come if those rumors actually were true. That little voice too told her that the rumor was about to become the truth some time very soon.

* * *

He was back. Back in Vegas. He'd been sleeping for a few hours, and after coming round the LVPD again he had immediately started on a case. Lou hadn't even talked to Catherine yet. He hadn't even emailed her to let her know he'd be back in town. Lou didn't know if he even should've. He thought about when he'd left Vegas, about two and a half years ago. He and Catherine had tried to make their relationship work. But it had been hard on both of them. They'd missed each other. The closeness they couldn't share when they were so far away from each other. The moments they usually shared at work... It had been tough. And then, Michael Keppler had come along in Vegas. Lou had never known what exactly had happened between him and Catherine. But after his death, the relationship between him and Catherine had gone downhill fast. They stopped talking about their problems, about their lives... Eventually, they'd just stop communicating, in every single way. He'd never stopped loving her though. Lou knew that he had to focus on the case he had to work instead of Catherine. If he'd been informed right, Catherine wouldn't be there. Explaining to her why he was back would be a problem he was going to deal with later. Lou took a deep breath before he got out of his car, on his way to interview a cabdriver. After a short conversation, Grissom walked up to him. Grissom didn't seem to notice the return of the long lost detective, so Lou figured he'd start talking immediately.

"You're going to love this." The two walked to a dead man, posed in the position of a man waving for a cab, as if he was on his way to his office. "I've heard of diamonds with boots on, but this.." Grissom looked at him in shock. It had been their thirth posed-murder, and it seemed crazier every single time. Lou wanted to walk away, back to the cab driver, but Grissom held him back and said: "It's good to have you back, detective. You were missed around the lab."

Lou smiled a genuine smile at the older man before he said: "Thanks. I missed Vegas too."

* * *

Catherine stood in the evidence room with Riley and Nick. It felt strange to have someone who replaced Warrick. Warrick… There wasn't an hour in which she didn't think about him; she missed him so much. Riley seemed to be a very nice girl though, and, even more important, a very good csi. But Warrick was always on her mind. Losing him had been tough on the entire team. She'd tried to be strong, letting life go on with all good memories of Warrick in her head. Her grief was still evident in everything she did. She tried to shake the thought of Warrick off of her and then looked at the posters of the three murdered persons, posed in different positions. She passed the posters while she said: "So we've got three victims all stripped of their identities. Homeless guy dressed as a business man, a hustler looks like a runner and a nurse, dressed like herself." Catherine turned to Riley and Nick before she said: "What do they have in comment?"

While Nick answered Catherine's question, Lou passed the evidence room. He spotted the three people standing in the room, looking as if they were discussing the case. His heart almost stopped beating when he noticed Catherine was one of the people in the room. Her strawberry blonde hair hung loosely over her shoulders, connecting with the creamy white top she was wearing. She looked gorgeous. His breaths were getting heavier while he kept his eyes on Catherine, who kept talking to Nick and a young, blonde woman he didn't recognize. Lou kept staring, and staring, and staring. After a couple of minutes, Nick and the blonde woman left the evidence room. Catherine was now on her own. Lou wasn't sure about what he needed to do, but he felt as if some kind of magic spell drew him to her. He slowly walked into the room, knowing Catherine wouldn't hear him. Every step he took brought him closer to her. He started smelling her scent, which still smelt the same after years. He loved her hair, it looked so silky smooth. She had gotten older a bit, he could tell. But only because he knew every single detail of her face. He noticed every little change. She still took his breath away.

Lou took his time to look a little longer at Catherine before he took a breath. He wanted to say so much, yet he couldn't think of anything to say besides: "Hey."

A shiver went through Catherine's body when she heard the voice she'd been missing for a long time. So it was true. He was back. Back in Vegas. But for how long would that be? She turned around immediately, and saw Lou standing only inches away from her. She didn't know what to say; all Catherine could do was stare. He looked just like he had when he'd left. Still as gorgeous. A little older, yes. Only made him look better though. Lou took a few steps into Catherine's direction. Catherine wanted to step away, not sure if she really wanted to talk to him. She wanted to, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for it. Her feet felt as if they were glued to the ground though as she couldn't step away. She flinched slightly when Lou's hand cupped her cheek and whispered: "You're gorgeous."

Catherine still wanted to step away and run away, but Lou's touch made her long for the times they'd been together. It brought back all their memories in one, quick flash. All good times. But all bad times too. She closed her eyes briefly and inhaled Lou's scent before she was finally able to find her voice and said: "I.. I have to go."

Her voice was weak and Lou noticed that as well. He did let go of her cheek though. Catherine opened her eyes when she felt the warmth of Lou's hand disappear, upset with the loss of his touch. Their eyes locked, and the emotions than were running through Catherine's body were driving her insane. They didn't make any sense at all. She then turned around and walked away, scared for any conversation she knew she needed to have with Lou.

* * *

Catherine knew Lou wasn't a quitter. He had never been. But she hadn't expected to see him sitting on her front porch, waiting for her to come home. She wished she had the guts to get back into her car and drive away from him, but she was too tired. She was too tired for a confrontation with Lou as well, but she knew it was about to happen. As soon as Lou spotted Catherine, he stood up and waited patiently for her to walk up to her front door. The minute Catherine looked into Lou's eyes, she said: "Lou, please, I'm tired… I just want to sleep."

"We have to talk, Cath."

She tried to open her front door, but her nerves prevented her from getting the key in the lock the way she was supposed to. "Catherine.." The moment Lou's hand touched Catherine's neck, she spun around and hissed: "Lou, I don't want to do this. I can't prevent you from staying in Vegas, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea if we try to reconcile. Let's just be polite, okay?"

Catherine's outburst surprised Lou, and for a moment, he didn't know what to do or say. At that point, Catherine was finally able to unlock her door and walk inside. She slammed the door behind her, hoping to leave Lou outside. He quickly pressed his feet in between though, grabbing her arm too as he did so. "Catherine, please..."

"Lou..." Her voice was small and she indeed looked tired. Lou's heart skipped a beat as he felt Catherine's hands on his arms, gently touching him as she whispered: "Please go... Please. I can't do this now. This is... This is insane." He nodded, accepting the fact that she didn't want to talk to him even though he'd been longing to do so for hours.

Once Catherine was inside on her own, tears started falling down her face immediately. Her back slid down the wall until she sat on the ground, her head on her knees and her face already wet from the tears. She'd never stopped loving Lou. But how was she going to explain all the things that had happened between her and Michael Keppler? How was she ever going to explain how that man had been able to destroy their relationship?

_Note: Liked it? Button's below... xxx._


	20. Let It Bleed

_Note: Hi all, thanks for the nice reviews! I bet you're all waiting for Catherine and Lou to be happy again, but be patient please.. It takes time ;-). Hope you do enjoy though! xx._

**20. Let It Bleed  
**  
It had been a while since Catherine and Gil had done an autopsy together. Catherine felt comfortable around him though; it was nice to be with him again. While she searched for pretty much anything on the girl's body, Gil took photographs. He stopped for a short second and looked at Catherine while she was looking over the body; she looked tired. "Are you okay?"

Catherine looked up when she heard Gil's voice. No, she wasn't okay. She'd found Lindsey in a club with a fake-id, Lou was back and she wasn't sure what to do about that, Warrick was death.. No, she wasn't okay. She knew lying wasn't an option; Gil could usually see right through her. She took the gamble though and said: "I'm fine."

Gil's eyebrow raised; he knew she was hiding something. Catherine remained quiet though, know collecting pieces of glass she found in the victim's body. Gil decided to start photographing again, but he was wondering if Catherine's sudden tiredness had something to do with the return of detective Vartann. Gil wasn't someone who really followed the rumors around the lab, but he did know that something had been going on between Catherine and the detective before he'd left. He noticed Catherine had started talking to him again, but to his surprise, his hearing started to fade.

Catherine didn't notice though, and continued talking. When she looked at Gil though, he had a puzzled look on his face. That was why she said: "Did you hear anything I said? The wounds, from the glass.. They appear to look superficial."

Gil looked and murmured: "Yeah," before he continued: "No vital response in the tissue.. Post-mortem." He heard Catherine sigh before she tried to connect her eyes with his while she said: "Are you getting any sleep?"

Catherine could tell he was avoiding her look, but she couldn't help herself from saying: "Yeah, me neither." It was more a statement to herself than to Gil though, admitting to herself that Lou's return affected her more than she'd thought. She didn't want Gil to ask any question's though, and she quickly asked for Sara.

* * *

"You can love someone with your heart and soul, but you can't protect them for twenty-four hours." Lou was distracted as soon as he heard the dead girl's aunt say those words. Catherine stepped into his thoughts immediately. He'd been asking around the lab casually about how his former-colleagues had been. Of course, he'd been more interested in Catherine than anyone else. The things that he was told, had made him feel even worse about his departure than he already did. He was told that rumors around the lab said that something had been going on between her and Michael Keppler, who'd replaced Grissom during his sabbatical. She'd seen him die right in front of her. And of course Warrick had died. Her best friend, the person she could always count on and vice versa. Lou felt bad. For multiple reasons. He felt bad because he had the feeling that he could've done something to prevent Catherine getting close with Michael Keppler. He wasn't mad at her for falling for another man. God, she would've been crazy if she hadn't. Most of all though, he felt bad because he hadn't been able to support her when Warrick had died the way he should've.

* * *

Catherine saw Lou right in front of her, holding his gun, along with an amount of other cops. It reminded her of the past. The days in which working with him gave her tingles in her belly out of love. Now, those tingles made her feel nervous because she didn't know what to do around him and how to hide her feelings. She tried to ignore his presence. But Catherine knew Lou was staring at her while she examined the box in front of her. And she couldn't help but stare at him either when he walked the suspects away.

Their eyes met for a split second, both of them unable to look away. Their eyes were connected and for a tiny moment, Catherine felt like time had turned back and she was two years younger again. And completely happy with Lou and her relationship.

* * *

Lou found Catherine in the diner where they'd been together for the first time outside of work. She was sitting in the same seat she always sat; near the window. Their shift had been long; longer than it should've been. Five dead people, because they hadn't been able to protect one girl. Lou knew it had bothered Catherine. He'd looked for her as soon as he had been able to, hoping to find her in her office or the break room. She'd been gone though, and he had decided to take a gamble and go to the diner. He was glad he had done so. He ordered two coffee's before he walked up to the place she was sitting. Without saying a word, he sat down on the free chair that was opposite's to Catherine.

As soon as Catherine noticed Lou, her first reaction was to walk away. She felt horrible, and she knew Louy could tell. She didn't want him to comfort her, but as soon as he uttered his first words, Catherine knew she wasn't going naywhere. "It's not your fault, Catherine."

The first thing she noticed was the way he said her name. It felt so good to hear him say that. Catherine knew he meant the other five people that had died. She sighed and said, without looking into his eyes: "I know. I just… I just don't understand people sometimes. How insane can a person be?" The double meaning behind her comment wasn't unnoticed by Lou.

"You want to go take a walk? I've got the coffee…"

She finally dared to look into Lou's direction, and all she could see was pure interest in how she was doing. A look she was all familiar with. She wanted to walk away and leave, avoiding complicated conversations and awkward situations. But the look on his face was so sweet, so interested that Catherine couldn't resist. Catherine nodded and without saying a word, she stood up and walked into the dark night with him.

It was a cold night for Vegas standards, but the two still didn't dare to walk close to each other. Their bodies didn't touch and in silence, they walked over the Strip. Catherine was confused with herself; she wanted to tell so many things, she wanted to fly into Lou's arms and she wanted to tell him how much she'd missed him. She wanted to touch him, kiss him.. She wanted to be able to love him and tell him she did. But something kept holding her back. And she knew that something was keeping Lou from saying a word as well. When they reached a more quiet part of the Strip Catherine decided to skip the part of her feeling bad about the case. She needed to know more about his return. She suddenly said: "Why did you come back?"

Lou shrugged, not quite sure what to say. He was quiet for a few seconds and thought, while Catherine looked at pretty much everything but Lou. He knew getting back to Vegas had nothing to do with the job or Las Vegas; it had everything to do with Catherine. Lou wasn't sure Catherine would appreciate those words though. He was so happy she was willing to be in his presence, and he wanted to be careful with choosing his words. He eventually said: "They asked me. I'd always planned on getting back to Vegas. But after, well, after you and I stopped talking.. I just stopped having a reason to go back. Then Jim called, I figured.. Why not? You were still here, I still wanted to get back. Vegas feels more like home. Mainly because of you. You made it feel like home and I still had that memory in my head."

Catherine slowly nodded, but didn't say a word. His words struck her. She felt like home to him. It touched her and she knew she appreciated it that he was still happy to be in her company. She was so too, even though it was now a little too difficult for her to handle. The two walked along, until they saw a bench and sat down together. Catherine took a deep sigh before she surprised herself as she said: "I missed you. I missed us. I still do."

Lou turned his head so he could face Catherine, and to his surprise, he saw her eyes were red and wetter than usual. He nodded and said: "I do too."

There were many more things Catherine wanted to say. She was too afraid Lou would bring up Michael Keppler if she did though. She got up from the bench and said: "I have to go."

He got up immediately as well; he didn't want Catherine to leave. He grabbed her hand while he got up and said: "Catherine… I… I enjoyed being with you. I know we didn't dicuss a lot but... I'm just very happy to finally see you again."

She wanted to tell him she did too, but instead, she looked at her hand that was attached with his before she said: "I.. Thank you for making me feel better about the case."

Lou nodded, feeling some kind of rejection as he said: "No problem."

Catherine couldn't help but feel terrible when she saw the look on Lou's face. It wasn't his fault that it was so hard for her to actually be in Lou's presence again. She squeezed his hand lightly before she said: "I enjoyed being with you too. It's just… It's so difficult. We are so difficult. It's been so long since we've talked. It seems so odd, being here with you."

A chuckle escaped out of Lou's mouth before he said: "I know."

They let go of each other's hand, and Catherine planned on walking away. When she turned around though, she heard Lou say: "If you're ready to.. To, you know, talk about the last two years… Please let me know."

She turned around again, facing Lou as she walked back to him. She bit her lip, unsure of what to say. Their eyes locked, and Catherine grabbed his hand and caressed it as she said: "I will, I definitely will. It... You know, it may not be tomorrow. But we will talk, we will." 

_Note: End of chapter :). Was tough to write, I hope it wasn't too bad ;) . _


	21. 19 Down

_Note: Hi dear readers, I'm so sorry for the huge delay. I'm leaving town for my new study in less than a week and i've been so busy preparing that I didn't really have the time to write. I'm so sorry. Thanks to those who reviewed the last few chapters, and I hope you will enjoy this chapter as much as usual! xx. _

**21. 19 Down**

Vartann passed the hallways without looking for the person he wanted to. He hadn't been talking to Catherine after their brief meeting a while ago, but he could feel something had changed between them. They had passed each other in the hallways a couple of times since, and he'd noticed Catherine wasn't trying to look away anymore; their eyes always connected briefly. Lou knew it didn't mean a lot, but it seemed to be a good step in reconciling their relationship, as far as that would be possible. When he turned a corner, he saw the group of csi's sitting all together, discussing a case probably. He saw Catherine sitting, her back facing him. A sigh escaped from his lips without really noticing. He missed her. He missed Catherine a lot.

* * *

"Lindsey was once given a gift certificate for a pair of customized jeans.. So we go to the store, we spent two hours picking out the wash, the rib bits, you name it, and she has her boyfriend's name embroiled on her back pocket. Well, guess what, she breaks up with the guy a week later. She doesn't wear 'em once."

"Still beats a tattoo, right?" Catherine smiled and thought for a split second about the man sitting next to her. Gil was her best friend. The man who'd always helped her in the past. She felt bad about him leaving. She didn't want him to go. She wanted him to do what was best for him but having him leave was rough on her. He was her best friend.

"Oh, don't go there. In any case, the sneakers were definitely a custom job. We got a warrant for the customer records. "

Vartann seemed to pass every single room Catherine was in that day. This one was no exception. While she was searching stuff on the computer with Gil, he was again looking at her back. Lou knew he needed to see her some time between now and a couple of hours. He wanted her. He needed her. Even if all he got was a small smile or a little detail of what she'd been doing, he would be happy. He wanted it all but for now, he woud be happy with a little.

* * *

Catherine accidentally bumped into Lou a few hours later when she entered the locker room. The first thing she noticed wasn't the fact that her body was in contact with Lou's, but the fact that he smelled. And not in a good way. Their situation suddenly seemed so normal and while their bodies were still touching and Catherine's hand lingered on his as she said: "God, where have you been… You smell."

"Well it's nice to see you too, Catherine. I was in the house of the victim.. He was covered with insects. And it smelled. And now I smell too." A look of disgust graced his face as he spoke those words.

Catherine chuckled as she said: "You should take a shower, it really smells bad."

Lou nodded. "I know, I know. It's disgusting. Dirty little animals." The two smiled, both temporarily forgetting their awkward relationship at that moment.

There was silence for a while after that, before Catherine realized her body was touching Lou's. What surprised her was the fact that she wasn't bothered by it. Instead, she felt herself longing for more. She knew that, if she was going to ask the question she wanted to, a lot of hard conversations would be coming up. Conversations she'd been dreading every since he had reuturned. But she didn't want to give up on Lou. She still wanted to be with him. She scraped her throat lightly before she said: "You.. You want to come and have a drink at my place after shift? After you've taken a shower that is, of course."

* * *

Lou couldn't help the slight butterflies that were flying inside his stomach as he walked up to Catherine's porch. He was nervous. He decided not to think too much and just ring her doorbell as soon as he stood in front of the door. They would be talking that night, and hopefully, it would end in a good wat. Catherine opened it not too long after his knock. He noticed that Catherine had changed after work; she wore a pair of tight jeans with a green top. He loved green in combination with her reddish hair and pale skin. Catherine smiled at him, and to his relief, he could tell that she was nervous as well. He smiled back while they both said "Hi," at the same time. Catherine chuckled and closed the door behind the man. Both felt slightly stupid, as if they were a couple of teenagers on their first date.

While Lou hung up his coat, Catherine walked to the kitchen as she said: "What do you want to drink? Wine, beer, coffee… Something else?"

"Coffee's fine, thank you." Lou appeared in the living room and sat down on the couch while he waited for Catherine to return. The house hadn't changed too much. There were a few flowers in vases. A new picture of Lindsey graced the wall. Everything else was still the same. She came back with two full cups of coffe and Lou noticed she stopped walking when she saw him sitting on the couch. He could tell she was doubting about where to sit. She bit her lip. Lou ran a hand through his her before he said: "Cath.. Come sit here, please. I don't bite."

"I know. I'm afraid I will though."

Lou didn't ask Catherine to explain her comment while she sat down on the couch next to him and handed him his coffee. Lou knew they both felt uncomfortable and decided to break the ice a little bit as he said: "So, I heard you talking last shift to Grissom. Something about Lindsey and a boy... I didn't eavesdrop, I swear." He raised his eyebrow, and Catherine smiled, not caring about the man eavesdropping or not. Talking about Lindsey was a safe subject and she was happy he'd brought that up. "Yeah, that's a while ago. There was a boy in her class she liked, and dated. She was excited for about two weeks and then got bored with having a boyfriend, so she broke up with him. Which is a good thing, because she's way too young to have a boyfriend."

Lou chuckled. They both took small sips of their hot coffee, while Catherine wondered about what to say. She knew she had to talk to Lou about all the things that had happened during his departure. She didn't want to. But she knew she would feel uncomfortable as long as she wouldn't tell him. She took a breath before she said: "When I walked away that night, you know, when you found me in that diner, you said I had to tell you when I wanted to talk. I… I do want to talk to you about the time you were gone. A lot happened when you were gone… I'm not proud of how I've done things and I really wish we could've just continued as if nothing had ever happened.. But I can't."

All Lou could do was nod, while he waited for Catherine to continue. He was slightly prepared for her words, he just hoped they wouldn't hurt.

"I was devastated when you left… I thought I could handle living apart from you, but having you near me had become such a big part of me.. I missed you. You weren't gone for that long when my dad died and.. Well, you know what happened. I understood –I still do,- that you weren't able to be here, support me, during that period. I wasn't able to get to you either so we're both to blame on that. But your calls got less regular and we constantly called each other when the other wasn't there… I don't know how it happened but at some point, I felt as if I had lost you. And then Michael came. He… He replaced Gil when he was on his sabbatical. Mike and I.. We didn't do anything wrong, so you can dismiss that thought immediately."

That last sentence took a huge weight off of Lou's chest. He knew she could've kissed the guy all she wanted, it had been her perfect right to do. But from what he had heard, Keppler had been quite a nice man. He was glad the relationship between him and Catherine hadn't been more than just co-workers. Perhaps co-workers who did feel something more for each other, but never got the chance to do something about that.

"But he did make me feel alive again for some reason. Mike was an incredible man, and I'm sure you don't want to hear this… But I do think that if.. If he hadn't died, something would've happened. When I realized that, I realized something was wrong between the two of us. I…"

Catherine wanted to continue her sentence, but Lou cut her off when he placed his finger on her lips. He knew his voice wasn't anything but a whisper as he said: "Cath.. I know you want to be honest. But I think we both know we did things wrong. I know we have to talk about the past couple of years but what I really, really need to know is if you still love me. If you want to try and start things over again. I really need to know that at this point because.. I love you, Catherine. I miss you. I need you. All I really want is hold you, kiss you and make love to you, and I know we have so many things to talk about. But I know we can make us work. As long as you love me too."

Catherine wasn't prepared for Lou's little speech, and Lou was a little astonished by the words himself. Despite her prior speech in which she'd said she couldn't continue as if nothing had happened, she knew she wanted him closer to her just as much as he did. Her throat seemed dry but she did manage to say: "I never stopped loving you."

Their eyes met and in less than a second, Catherine moved a little closer to him. He slowly brought his hand up to cup her cheek, and was relieved when Catherine didn't flinch. Catherine closed her eyes before she said: "I know I said I couldn't continue as if nothing had happened. But right now I really want to kiss you. I really, really want to.."

She didn't have any time to continue her sentence. Lou's lips captured hers in the middle of it, and a huge tingle went down her spine. His tongue pressed against her lips, asking for entrance. She parted her lips immediately. Their lips were still connected when Catherine moved herself so she sat on his lap. Their tongues dueled while her hands moved in his neck and his were stroking her back. Their touches were soft and smooth and both felt as if things were, at that very moment, absolutely perfect.

Both knew their problems weren't solved. They knew as well that nothing more than kissing would happen that night. But it felt so good to finally feel each other again that both knew they were able to resolve their issues. Even if it would mean taking baby steps into the right directions.

_Note: I bet you liked that kiss, huh ;-)! Hope you enjoyed it! xxx._


	22. Deep Fried and Minty Fresh

_Note: Hi dear readers, thanks so much for your nice feedback! I'm sorry that it took me so long to update. I just moved from my lovely hometown to the other side of the world -America to be precise- so I didn't have a lot of time to write. Finished this though, and though it's not as long as it usual is, I wanted to share it with you loyal readers because you deserve a new chapter ;). Please enjoy, and I'm curious to see the new Vartann/Catherine action in the new season! Oh, and another thing.. I know that Vartann is apparantly named Lou... But I'm not going to change it in this story, so if you're bothered by it, please pretend every time you read Tony it is Lou ;-)! xxxx. **Edit: **Okay, so I did change it because I was bothered by it myself. Sorry, haha ;-)._

**22. Deep Fried and Minty Fresh**

Vartann couldn't help the little smile that was on his face. It felt nice to work by Catherine's side again; it had been a while since they had been working together. She had been awfully professional since she'd seen him, but the cute smile she gave him when they both knew no one was watching, meant a lot to him. They walked next to each other while Lou spoke about the case.

"The husband's blood alcohol level is through the roof and the wife is dead in the bedroom. Mailman tried to deliver this when he found them." Lou handed Catherine a letter, and took a few more steps.

Catherine stopped though and read out loud: "Notice of intent to foreclose. Nice house to lose."

Both looked around the living room, realizing what a pretty house it actually was.

"Mister Tucker's a mortgage broker, his wife's a real estate agent so they probably got first pick. There's no sign of forced entry but the place is ins tike."

"Yeah, looks like he's been living on the couch."

After that, the ambulance worker started talking to the two. They both looked at the man, but Catherine could tell Lou was casting glances at her as well. It was a relief that she finally didn't feel uncomfortable while she was around him.

* * *

Catherine and Vartann walked away from the crime scene at the same time, and knew they were the only two outside. Catherine walked a little closer to him as he said: "It's nice to work with you again, miss Willows."

She chuckled when she heard him say her last name and said: "Why yes it is, detective Vartann."

The smile he gave her made her melt a little bit, and Catherine felt special to receive one of those smiles again. Vartann wasn't a man of that many smiles; definitely not during work. Their arms brushed lightly and Catherine wanted to give him a quick kiss on his lips. She knew she couldn't. She did however grab his hand for a split second and caressed his skin with her thumb for a second before she let go again and said: "I'll be in my office for a while, doing some paperwork.. Come see me when you have time okay? I'd like that…"

Catherine's smile didn't reveal any sorts of lust or anything inappropriate; all Lou could read out of it was her truly wanting to be in his company. And he liked that. He nodded and grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly, before letting go again and heading for his own car.

* * *

Vartann knocked earlier on the door of Catherine's office than he'd thought he would've been able to. But his work had been done earlier than planned and he had to admit that he was enjoying the fact that Catherine wanted to be with him again. She wasn't trying to get away when they were together anymore. He knocked on her door softly before entering her office and closing the door behind him. She was reading a couple of files, with her glasses on. He loved it when she wore them.

"The glasses are back again!"

The huge grin on Tony's face was undeniable, but Catherine reacted with a small sigh and said: "Yes they are. They make me feel old though."

"You're not old." He took a few steps into Catherine's direction while she pushed herself out of her chair and stood up. Her arms sneaked around Lou's neck as soon as he stood in front of her. His hands removed Catherine's glasses and put them on her desk before he said: "You're beautiful. And you're gorgeous with those glasses. They look sexy on you."

Catherine chuckled and felt Lou's hands on her back before she leant in and gave him a kiss. They both knew they weren't supposed to do those kind of things during their job. Both were thrilled though that they were longing for physical contact again; something that mattered more to them than their job.

She buried herself in his chest for a while, trying to forget for a moment that they were at their job and that they had a whole lot of things to resolve. She sighed against his chest before she said: "I'm glad you came… Let's get something to eat when we're done, okay?"

* * *

Lou found Catherine leaning against her car after his shift. He knew he was late; he'd texted her about twenty minutes ago that he was about to leave the building. Unfortunately, Ecklie had caught him before he had been able to leave and had been nagging to him about a case for fifteen minutes. He rushed up to Catherine, while he was thinking about how nice she looked; he loved her wearing her leather jacket. When Lou was within hearing distance, Catherine said: "You're late."

"I know, sorry… Ecklie was bugging me."

She chuckled and said: "Well, then I'll forgive you. Let's go."

Their ride to the tiny diner they were heading for was in a comfortable silence. When they arrived at the small diner, they parked in the parking. Catherine turned off the engine of her car, but didn't get out immediately. She looked to her side, at the man sitting next to her. Lou caught her staring, and wondered what she was thinking about. He let her stare for a few seconds and eventually heard her say: "I'm glad to have you by my side."

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "I know we have a long way to from here.. But I love you. And I'm glad you're here. With me."

Lou smiled at Catherine, and didn't let go of her hand. Glamorous, sassy, direct CSI Willows was an emotional, sweet and soft woman. And he was glad she'd decided to share those characteristics with him. Even though the events that had led them to do so were far from ideal.

_Note: Hit that tiny button that's down there folks! xxxxx._


	23. Better Off Dead

_Note: Please don't shoot me… I'm so sorry for the huge delay in updating, but I was so completely stuck with this story that my inspiration was completely gone. That's why I decided to skip a couple of episodes and start with the one where it all started for the entire public; Better Off Dead. Oh, and something else.. I know Tony's not Tony. I know it's Lou. I decided to change his name into Lou from this chapter on, unless it annoys you people haha ;-). Let me know. Enjoy, xx. _

**23. Better Off Dead.**

Catherine knew being called in on a case with Vartann was not the best possible scenario at this point. Not because she didn't like being with him on a case, not at all. She was just a little afraid that she would not be able to hide her love for him. The last couple of months had been nothing but great for the two of them. They were slowly, piece by piece, starting to build their relationship again. And so far, it was working very good. More than good. They were not planning on letting anyone know though, and that was probably going to become very difficult. Every time she saw Lou, a smile appeared on her face. Their arms almost always brushed, and though people hadn't yet noticed their more intimate relationship yet, Catherine was sure someone would od any time soon.

She spotted Lou as soon as she got out of her car, happy to be working with him again. Catherine slowly followed as Sara walked into his direction, admiring the man she loved from the top of the little hill. Both Catherine and Sara followed the footsteps in the grass as they walked down, holding the little rope while they did so. She saw Lou walking into their direction as soon as he spotted them, and when she and Sara came to the end, she heard Lou say a quick "Hey!" to Sara before handing her his hand and saying: "Catherine." Catherine's last steps were a bit quicker as she said: "Thanks," holding on to his hand a little longer than she knew she had to. His bare hand felt cold and Catherine had to admit that she wish she could just hold his hand a little bit longer and make it feel a bit warmer again. "You're welcome." She knew she couldn't though. But the tingling feeling inside her gave her a feeling of happiness. She and Lou were finally able to start like a normal couple. At least that was what it felt like.

* * *

"She was dumped from her own car…" Catherine's mind started spinning, thinking about the situation of the woman in her mind and what could've happened. "Clearly she wasn't driving." She got her head out of the car's window and opened the door, now facing Sara who was processing the floor of the car.

"So, eh, what's going on with you and Vartann?" Sara apparantly had something else beside the case on her mind.

Busted. Catherine felt so busted. She hadn't expected that question to come, definitely not from Sara. Catherine's mouth opened as she looked at Sara, who then added: "I am a trained observer." Catherine couldn't prevent a small chuckle, mainly because she felt busted, and then heard Sara say: "Okay, I see it's still on his early investigative stations."

"No comment." Catherine couldn't help but smile though. No, her relationship with Vartann was not supposed to be out in the public yet. But it surprised her that Sara could see there was something going on between the two of them. She liked that. Apparantly there was something about the two of them that was visible to other people. That wasn't a very handy thing considering their jobs, put somehow, Catherine did like that a lot.

* * *

"So, Sara is suspecting something."

Vartann was sitting on the couch in Catherine's office while she sat behind her desk. He was a little surprised at first, but Lou had to smile nonetheless and said: "And….. You want to tell her?"

Catherine shrugged. "I don't think so. Not yet, anyway. I like having a little secret. For now, at least." Lou smiled and said: "God, I wish I could kiss you right now. You look so good."

A chuckle escaped out of Catherine's mouth and she was just about to tell him that he'd just have to wait until they would get home when someone knocked on her office's door. She instinctively grabbed a file from her desk, pretending to talk about her case as she said: "Come in!"

Sara turned her head around the door and said: "Hey!" She then noticed the detective sitting on Catherine's couch and greeted him as well, somewhat surprised by his attendance in the room. When Sara turned back to Catherine, she said: "We have a new lead, I think. Hodges paged me about two minutes ago, but I was busy. He called me a few seconds ago, telling me we had to come see him. I think you should check it out too." Catherine nodded and said: "Okay, I'll be right there. You can go ahead, just give me a second to finish this with detective Vartann."

Sara wiggled her eyebrows as she repeated: "Detective Vartann," knowing how unnatural that must've been for Catherine to say. She was about to laugh when she saw a slight color appear on Catherine's cheeks, but instead decided to just nod. "That's fine Cath, I'll see you in a bit." Sara then closed the door again, chuckling as she did so.

As soon as the door closed, Lou started laughing and said: "Well, CSI Willows, I think it's time for me to leave."

"Yes, I think it is." Catherine smiled as she stood up from her desk. She brushed slightly along Vartann's body before she turned around and said: "Let's go dancing after shift.. I know a place where we won't run into other people." Lou pushed his lips together. "Dancing?" Catherine nodded. "Yeah. Come on, it will be fun." She then winked at him before walking into Hodges' direction. Lou couldn't help but stare after her. The way her hips swayed, the way her hair danced on her shoulders… He loved looking at Catherine. He loved her. And he was sure he would enjoy the dancing too since it meant having her by his side.

* * *

"I know now why we won't run into anyone we know," Lou murmured as he walked into the place Catherine guided him to. He thought Catherine wouldn't hear him, but apparently, she had, since she smacked him on his arm and said: "Don't be like that. Just wait until we're in. Their music's amazing."

Lou was glad Catherine could not see him raise his eyebrows as she would've probably been annoyed by that as well. As soon as they entered the what on the outside seemed dusty and old café, Lou was surprised in a good way. The jazzy music that came out of the speakers made him feel like dancing and got him relaxed at the same time. Catherine turned around and saw his face change and said: "I told you. It's awesome."

After they'd hung up their coats around the chairs by one of the tables and ordered a drink, Lou grabbed Catherine's hand and said: "May I have this dance, pretty lady?" Catherine chuckled and said: "Of course you may." She put her hand in his and he guided her to the dance floor. As soon as they stared dancing they became closer, one body against the other and their lips were connected most of the time. Lou placed his hand around her waist and pulled her a bit closer before he moved his face near her ear and whispered: "I love you."

Catherine smiled and kissed him before she answered: "I love you too."

_Note: I hope I didn't dissapointed you guys with this, so please let me know if you liked and if you want me to continue! XX._


	24. The Panty Sniffer

_Note: Hi folks! I'm so ashamed. It took me forever to update, and I feel so bad about it. I'm sure there not that many people are reading this anymore, but I kinda got my vibe back for this story and decided to continue. I miss Catherine and Vartann and had some new inspiration, so here it is haha! I hope some of you still enjoy this (and that my next update will be a lot, lot quicker!) ! "The Panty Sniffer" is the episode that's up next. There are so many Catherine and Vartann moments in it and I loved it. What I always wondered about though is what happened after Vartann shot the guy. So, that's where most of the story's going to be about. Enjoy!_

**24. The Panty Sniffer**

Catherine felt kind of bubbly inside. She'd just passed Archie and Greg and was about to take the elevator upstairs, to the room where Lou was currently held up. Her team had to work together with Lou this case, in an attempt to arrest drug dealers. And she was the lucky one who had to join him in a hotel room. Catherine knew she had to work, but nevertheless, she was kind of excited to be working so close with Lou. Their relationship wasn't out in the open at all, and she enjoyed spending every single second with him she could. Especially when she could show her love for him. The guy in the elevator seemed kind of weird, slightly unstable, but Catherine tried not to pay attention. She politely answered his question with "Seventeen," and tried to look relaxed while he made a rant about a lingerie show. It was a good think the seventeenth floor wasn't that far. She passed a few people on her way to the room she needed to be in, and knocked a few times on the door. Lou opened the door almost immediately. "Hi. "Hey." She saw his eyes wander for a bit and then surprised her with a big kiss on her lips. Catherine wasn't quite sure what happened, but she kissed him back never the less and put her arm around his neck. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and they broke their kiss. He seemed to almost apologize when he said: "Sorry. Close call." But when she nodded and wanted to walk in, he gave her a wink. While she replied, and they started to talk about the case, she couldn't help but notice how nice his ass looked in his jeans. She was sure he'd done that on purpose.

* * *

They'd been talking quite a lot while they had been in the hotel room. They however had yet managed to stay calm and not touch each other too much. That was until they got annoyed with the drug dealers in the room. One of them was still in the shower, while the other one was still in bed with a pretty woman that he'd picked up in the casino. "Are they ever going to stop?" Cahtherine sighed out loud as she let herself fall on the bed. Lou chuckled. "Relax, Cath, you know this is part of the job." "I know, but I'm getting bored."

As if that had been the cue Lou had been waiting for, he let himself drop next to her and looked at her. Catherine smiled while he put a strand of her behind her ear and said: "I'm glad I'm here with you. At least I can do this while waiting." "Do what?" He kissed her passionately, moving his hands around her waist to move her closer to him. They broke their kiss as Catherine said: "This is highly unprofessional of you, detective Vartann." "And you're loving every single bit of it." She chuckled before moving even closer to kiss him again. They knew they had to watch the monitors, and that they could only continue this for a very short time. But both Catherine and Lou seemed to accept that as they continued to be closer for a short while longer.

* * *

This was not supposed to be happening. Catherine was not supposed to be lying under this drug dealer that was trying to kill her. It was as if Lou was currently living in some kind of horrible nightmare and it scared him to death. But then why was he doubting about shooting? Lou saw Catherine's face and he could tell she was hurting. But what if his shot would go wrong? What if he would shoot Catherine instead? Lou tried not to think. He knew he needed to shoot. He needed to.

The first thing Catherine thought when she tasted blood on her lips was that she was about to die. When she realized that the heavy body that was on top of her was actually not moving and resting completely against hers, she realized she was not the dead person. She rolled over, bit her lip and then looked at Lou. His mouth was open, his eyes fixated on her. Lou didn't know what to do. He knew he'd shot right. But he could've shot Catherine. He slowly grabbed his cellphone and while he walked to Catherine and the body he dialed Jim's number and said: "Jim, send some people up. Now." Catherine heard his voice shake. Lou's eyes never let go of hers as he quickly checked the guy's pols, knowing that was his job. As soon as he realized the guy was dead, he sat down in front of Catherine. His hand cupped her cheek but Catherine flinched.

Catherine wanted to hug him. Kiss him. But she had blood everywhere. And they were being taped. He held out his hand in front of her as Catherine grabbed it and whispered: "I…. I… You can't touch me, I'm covered in blood. His blood." Catherine had no clue of what exactly she was saying. She was confused as hell. Lou's hand fell off of her cheek and he said: "I'm sorry that this happened, sweetie. I'm so sorry.."

* * *

With a bottle of wine in one hand and a glass in the other, Catherine moved herself from the kitchen to the couch. She didn't even bother putting on some music or the television; she knew she wouldn't be able to focus anyway. She folded her feet under her lap as she poured some wine into the glass and started sipping. Shivers would not leave her body; the events of a few hours before were playing over again in her mind. She wished Lou would've been with her now, but she knew he was probably still at the station, being questioned about the events. Catherine had been so pleased to work with Lou together for once, and in the circumstances they had she'd thought they would've had plenty of time to talk. And at first, they definitely had. It had been nice, talking to him about the past. About a lot of things, actually. But the ending of the day was what kept playing through her head. It had been one of the worst events she could've imagined herself being in, and all she wanted was to be with Lou. When she heard the key in the lock of her front door, she felt relieved, and when Lou finally stood in front of her, she let out a small sigh. "Hey." "Hi."

Lou took off his coat and sat down next to Catherine, who immediately rested her head on his shoulder. "Everything okay back at the department?" He nodded while letting his hand glide through her hair. "They agreed that me shooting was in your best interest." They were silent for a bit until Catherine lifted her head and turned to face Lou. He was staring into space, and she gently touched his chin to make him look at her. "Thank you. For saving me. I…. I can't tell you enough how happy I was when I realized he couldn't hurt me anymore." She kissed him gently. Their eyes locked afterwards, and Lou caressed her cheek before moving to the scratch she had on her forehead. "Does it hurt?"

Catherine shrugged. "Not really. It's not a problem, at all." Slowly, Lou was getting a bit more relaxed, but he couldn't help himself as he said: "I'm sorry… For not shooting earlier. I was confused, I wasn't sure what to do… I'm sorry."

"Sweetie, you saved me. You did everything perfectly fine. Come. Just… Just sit with me, for a bit. We can talk about this later. I want you to relax too. It's been hectic for both of us."

Lou nodded, his hand holding on to hears as he kissed her on the side of her forehead where she didn't have a scratch. "I love you, Catherine." "I love you, too."

_Note: I really, really hope you liked it! Please let me know if you did and if you're still interested in more of this! Next episode will be "Meat Jekyll"._


	25. Shock Waves

**25. Shock Waves.**

_Note: Sorry guys, I'm not keeping my promise. It's just that Shock Waves was a little more interesting to write about considering the fact, that even though Meat Jekyll was quite a nice episode, this one had much more I could write about, haha! Enjoy! XX. _

"Bomb squad says it's all cleared." "Alright, well I'm going to need video from all the news teams, on the ground and in the air." "Okay." Their quick, professional conversation was far from anything romantic. Catherine was quite in shock though, and Lou could tell. Nick was hurt in front of her, and who knew what could've happened if he hadn't found out about the bomb. She rested her arm on Lou's shoulder for a bit before walking away. "Catch up with you later." Lou looked after her for a split second, wondering what exactly was going through his girlfriend's mind. He knew he had to focus on work though, as did Catherine, so he decided to find her later and talk with her.

* * *

Catherine watched Nick struggle with evidence. It broke her heart to see him like this again. It reminded her of a few years ago, when he was buried alive. It pained her so much to see him hurt in a way like that again. As she stood in the door opening, she said: "Go home Nicky, you're tired." "No I'm okay, everybody's tired." Catherine walked closer to him as she said: "Not everybody's got shot and then blown up." Nick chuckled. "It's not funny. I almost lost you. I almost lost Ray, and I don't want to lose this case 'cause you're almost maxed out. You need to sit down with the department shrink." Nick appreciated Catherine's concern a lot, but the shrink-part wasn't something he liked. "Wooh, come on!" "It's mandatory after a shooting incident." "I know about the rules…" Catherine interrupted him. "It's not about the rules, Nicky, it's about you." "Look the time I waste talking to a shrink, is time I can be helping you out on this case." "You can't just John Wayne this like everything else." Nick sighed and looked away. Old feelings started to come up in Catherine's head, and she hoped her admitting something Nick didn't know about her, would help him. "After losing Warrick, I thought, if I just worked hard enough, if I focused completely on the case, that I.. Wouldn't have to about his death." Nick knew bringing up Warrick's death was something that hurt Catherine. It still hurt him too to think about his friend, and he could tell Catherine was getting tears in her eye. So was he. "There isn't enough work in the world. I realized that I couldn't do my job without talking to somebody." "I never knew that about you." Catherine shrugged. "I'm good at hiding things… Like you. Just ask yourself this, okay," Catherine said as she took a card from her backpocket, "if you got a call out tomorrow to the restaurant where you got shot, and officer Clark died, could you focus? Would you be there for your team? Would you want you backing you up right now?" Catherine could see Nick think, knowing she was right. "Make that call." She lightly touched his shoulder before she walked away to leave Nick alone and think. And to be alone for a bit.

She made her way to her office as quick as she could, not noticing anyone while she made her way to that spot. Lou did notice her though, and saw she was upset. He followed her to his office, and got in only seconds after she did. He saw Catherine standing in her office, facing an old picture of their former team. He quietly closed the door behind him and locked it, before walking over to her and placing his hands on both sides of her body. "What's wrong, Catherine. Don't tell me there's nothing, I can tell there is."

The comfort of Lou's warmth and presence made Catherine's tears fall freely. He hugged her closer to him as he kissed her hair. "I'm sorry, Lou. I just… I was afraid of what could happen to Nick, it made me think of Warrick… It just got a little bit too much. It'll be over in a second." Lou smiled slightly. Catherine always wanted to be the strong woman, hated to be upset in his arms. He turned her around though and whispered: "You don't always have to be strong, you know." Catherine shrugged. She knew he was right, but she didn't want to tell him that. She kissed him lightly on his lips, knowing they couldn't be too affectionate in her office. "I'm glad you followed me."

* * *

David, Catherine, Greg and Vartann where all at the scene. A seemingly, normal, ordinary scene. The moment Vartann dropped his battery –which he'd just borrowed from Greg for his flashlight,- on the floor, Catherine however realized it wasn't a normal scene. It was a trap. "David, wait." Catherine saw the trap, while at the same moment, Vartann's battery kept rolling into a darker spot. "Lou! Greg! Don't touch anything!" Catherine high voice screamed as loud as possible. It was too late though; as Greg tried to drag Lou away, the battery hit an object and the place exploded. David and Catherine both ran inside. They found their friends, who were both as good as fine. "We're okay." Vartann immediately said when he saw Catherine barging in. He couldn't go to her immediately though; he first thanked Greg for saving him, after which all four looked at the scene in front of them. "It isn't over," Catherine said. They knew help was on its way, and all went out of the building after observing for a bit.

Lou insisted Greg got checked out first when the ambulance came, and waited patiently for his turn. It was then that he spotted Catherine on her own, on the side, near her car. He quickly walked over to her. She was staring deep into space and didn't notice Lou until he said "Hey." He gently but quickly grabbed her arm to lead her out of the other people's sight. He gently kissed her lips before saying: "Are you okay?" "Are you?" Catherine was a little taken a back, still, but more of all, she was grateful that nothing serious had happened with both Lou and Greg. "Yeah, yeah…. Just, shocked, I guess. Can't believe this just happened. I'm just so happy Greg shoved me out of the way on time, and that you found out about it. It almost felt like a silly nightmare." Catherine closed her eyes briefly. "I'm glad you're okay." She was about to kiss him when her cellphone rang, the caller ID showing it was Nick. "Hi Nicky." "Hey, where'd you go? I need you to help me for a second." "I'll be right there."

It was clear Catherine had to leave. Lou's hand went to Catherine's cheek, caressing it lightly while she leant in to his touch. "We'll talk later, okay?" He nodded before watching her walk away. Both knew the last words about this hadn't yet been said. All Catherine had in mind was a fact that she hadn't yet been thinking about. She loved Lou. In a different way that she'd loved Eddie, Warrick and Sam. But she'd already lost three of the most important men in her life. What if she would lose Lou as well?

_Note: It's fiction, right... Things gotta get more dramatic at some point ;)? I have an idea which way I'm heading with this story, I just hope you all like it so far. I'm really busy with school right now, but I nevertheless will do my best to update as often as possible!_


	26. Blood Moon

**26. Blood Moon**

_Note: Hell yeah. I loved the lovely things we got to see from Catherine and Vartann in this episode, haha! Hope this chapter will be just as nice as those first few seconds! Enjoy!_

The elevator's sound told them they were on the floor they needed to be. They were mostly happy that it only were seven floors they had to travel. His hand was on her but as they moved themselves to the door of their room. Catherine grabbed the key out of Lou's back pocket, and quickly let them in. As Catherine closed the door with her heel, Lou immediately kissed her roughly. She moaned in his mouth as his hand went up to her breast. They broke their kiss for a second so they could both remove their shoes, which was in particular useful since Catherine's huge heels were killing her. As soon as they were gone, Lou helped her up and kissed her, pushing her into the wall in the process. Her hand was in his neck as she hit the wall, moaning both out of pleasure and slight pain.

Clothing parts started to get off while their kisses continued and Lou moved Catherine to the nearest desk as he unzipped her beautiful form-fitting purple dress. She threw all stuff off of the desk as Lou pushed her down, kissing her more passionately while his hand slid over her thigh. In the meantime, Catherine tried her hardest to get his blouse off. Her satisfied sigh made Lou chuckle slightly as he whispered: "Glad I can make you do that." She smiled before pushing him off of her and guiding him to the bed. When his ankles collided with the bed he fell backwards, and Catherine immediately dropped herself on top of him, her dress slowly coming down. She kissed him, and she got more and more aroused while Lou's hands went to her butt, gliding over it and making her shiver.

They took some time to take a breath while Catherine got herself out of her dress and Lou removed his pants. He took advantage of the situation by moving them around when Catherine had finished taking off her dress, taking charge again of the situation. "You're so gorgeous, Cath." She gave him a small peck on his lips before moving her hands down to his boxers, where she felt his hard erection pressing against the fabric. She licked her lips as she felt Lou unclasp her bra. His right hand moved up to touch her breast, causing her nipples to harden immediately. Catherine moaned and kissed his neck while she felt him move his head down to her most private parts. Lou touched her damp panties and smirked, knowing he'd done that to her. He tore them apart, which made Catherine chuckle before she said with a low voice: "You know that's gonna cost you, right?" Lou only smiled as he got his boxers off as well, before moving up again. Their tongues mingled again while Catherine's nails dug into his skin. Lou moved his lips away from hers as he said: "You're ready?" "What do you think?"

Within seconds Catherine felt him inside of her, starting of a rhythm that he knew would drive her crazy. She felt ready to explode within seconds. "Don't stop." Her fingernails dug deeper while her neck tingled from the kisses and the slight bite marks he left there. "Aah." She was so close. She knew he was too. She felt Lou explode inside of her as he exclaimed a loud moan, and in less than a second, her orgasm washed over her too. "God, I love you, Lou."

* * *

"Okay… Look, if you don't want to move in together… I'll understand." That's what Lou said, at least. If he was honest, he knew that if Catherine wouldn't want to move in with him, it would hurt his feelings more than he even wanted to himself. After their night together in the hotel, waking up with her, having breakfast with her, taking a quick but hot shower with her, Lou'd known that that was all he really wanted now. Live with Catherine, spent every single possible second with her. It hurt him that she, apparently, didn't feel that way.

Catherine's lips formed into a small smile, one that told Lou that she was slightly insecure about what she was going to say. "Lou…" She walked over to the couch he was sitting on and rested on its side before continuing, while her hand rested on his shoulder, kneading it every once in a while. Catherine knew her answer wouldn't be what he wanted to hear.

"I think what we have now is pretty awesome. And I just fear that, if we were to move in together, we're gonna start to argue about who forgot to unload the dishwasher, kinds of crap like that. And besides, we're bot armed. Good and badly." A slightly ironic chuckle escaped from Lou's lips. "Yeah… But, uhm… I'm willing to risk it." Lou prayed she'd say yes. That she wanted it as bad as he did. He loved her so much, and he wanted to live with her more than anything.

"I'm not….. Can't we just enjoy what we've got now?" Lou's face fell, but he knew he couldn't tell here he wouldn't. He loved her too much to do so. "Yeah… I'll take it." They looked at each other for a bit, both trying to find the other's true emotion inside. Lou's phone interrupted him however, and as he mouthed an apology, he walked away.

With a sigh, Catherine took place behind her desk again. She knew Lou was disappointed with her answer. She was disappointed in herself too. She was more afraid of committing to something serious than she'd imagined. She'd panicked, when he'd asked her to move in with each other. Instead of looking at the bright sides, Catherine could only see the possible disaster coming from moving in together. What if she and Lou would start bickering about every little thing? What if she would get annoyed with his company? What if he would get enough of her? What if he would be ashamed of her eventually? What if everything that could possibly go wrong would actually go wrong and hurt their relationship?

She loved him so much. There wasn't a greater man than Lou that she could think of to have by her side. Why was she so afraid of letting him in? She knew she'd hurt him by not taking up his offer. And it made Catherine feel extremely guilty.

* * *

Lou'd been driving around Las Vegas for forty minutes now. He'd seen all major hotels that he'd seen a billion times before. He'd hoped his disappointment had faded by now and that he would be ready to catch some sleep, but instead, he only felt worse. He hadn't heard from Catherine since their conversation and he wasn't sure what to do. Lou didn't want to rush her in something she didn't want to. Yet, what he truly wanted was to get through to her and made her aware of how important it was to him. How important she was to him.

Before he knew it, he was in front of Catherine's house. Lou didn't give himself any time to overthink his words as he knocked on Catherine's front door, not even considering the fact that she might've been asleep. She wasn't though. When the front door opened, he found her dressed in her black tight jogging pants and green tank top, with her hair in a messy ponytail and without any make-up. He thought she looked more than just beautiful. "Hey." He scratched the back of his head as he said: "Can I come in?" Without a word, she let him, and she could tell he closed the door behind them and followed her into the living room.

He found a bottle of wine and a glass in front of the television, that was currently paused on a scene of a movie that didn't look familiar to him. "Couldn't sleep?" She shrugged and replied. "I didn't really feel like it. You?" "Nah. Had some other things on my mind." Lou sat down next to Catherine on the couch, who had curled up on one side, while wondering what exactly Lou was coming for. In the back of her head, she knew.

"Look, Catherine… I… I know that earlier I said I was okay with us staying the way we are. I love the way we are.. But I want more. I love you. I want to be able to get into bed with you when I get home later than you instead of sleeping on my own and missing you. I want to give you a surprise every now and then without having to drag you somewhere else. I… I just want to be with you, Cath. I can tell your afraid of something and I can't put my finger on why exactly you are.. But I promise you that I would never, ever hurt you intentionally. You know that, right? Just… Let's just try. I'll give you a copy of my key. Then you can try coming home to me. It's all up to you then. Please?"

Catherine couldn't say no. Pure love and affection was all she could see in Lou's eyes and it almost made her cry. Yes, she was afraid. But maybe, for once, she should believe that love wouldn't always end up the wrong way. Thing could go right. With teary eyes she moved closer to Lou, nodding while curling up against him and kissing his lips. "Yes… Yes, we can do that."

_Note: I'm finally coming close to the end of season 11 haha, which is a good thing considering the fact that the next season will start soon! Hope you liked it, please let me know! x_


	27. Wild Life

_Note: New chapter. Enjoy!_

**27. Wild Life.**

Lou's lips curled up when he heard a key in the front door. Catherine was the only other person holding a key of his house, and it made him smile to know that she was willing to use it. Her hesitation had scared him a lot; yet, he was glad she did want to try and commit. Humor came through when he heard her yell: "Honey, I'm home," before walking in the living room, where he was seated. He chuckled before she said: "Don't expect me to say that ever again. Sounds ridiculous." Catherine leant in to kiss him on his lips before she shook of her jacket and fell down on the couch next to him. Her head fell on his shoulder while Lou's hands twirled some of her strawberry locks. "It's not that awful to have that key now is it?" Catherine smiled and sighed out of content. "I guess I'll have to admit that you were right. It's nice to come here and find you on the couch. Without having to knock."

* * *

"And the women claimed that they don't remember any of this? Come on… Give me a break." Lou tried to act normal after his discovery about Catherine owning half of a huge hotel in Las Vegas, but he saw her face change and new that, apparently, he had said something wrong.

"Give me a break? Do you know what it's like to wake up naked in a motel room with no memory of how you got there? Your head is throbbing, you're bruised, you're sore, you have no idea of what you did or what was done to you!" He shook his head. "But you do?" Concerned washed over him and for a bit, he forgot his dismay about her earlier revelation. He could tell she didn't want to talk about it. She tried to, though.

"Yeah…" Catherine sat down next to him on the couch, knowing she had to tell him more than what she'd just done. She hated talking about that particular night, and the events that happened afterwards. That's why she'd never told him before. She knew he wasn't going to let her go without telling him though."A couple of years ago, I went with a friend to a John Mayer concert and someone ruffed my drink." "What… You were.. You were raped?" "No, thank God, I wasn't. I thought I was, but even worse than that was having no memory, just.. Hours, of my life, gone." "How come you.. You never told me any of this." Not only felt Lou awful about not knowing about it, he was also taken aback by the fact that she hadn't told him about it before. "It's not something I like to talk about." "Yeah, I'm getting used to that."

Lou knew it was inappropriate, childish and just plain hurtful for him to say that to her, and he regretted it the moment it had left his lips. A knock interfered their conversation though, and Nicked walked in. "Hey." "Hey.." "Sorry to interrupt. We just got back Dana and Stacey's tox report. Stacey's alcohol level was point-o-three-two." "That's the equivalent of thirteen drinks," Lou replied. Nick nodded. "We also found GHB in their systems."

"So they were drugged." Catherine's statement made Lou turn around and he immediately knew she was more than just upset with him. Nick continued his story though. "But here's the kicker. Dana had trace amounts of GHB, but her blood alcohol level was only point-o-seven." "That's not even illegal drunk. I'm telling you, your soccer mom Dana remembers a lot more about last night then she's letting on."

Catherine knew there was no way she and Lou could continue their conversation now that they knew about this. "Okay… Let's bring her in, then."

Nick immediately got up and said: "Okay, well, you two handle their interrogation, will you? I need to get back to the DNA-lab and see David, but I'll join you two as soon as I can."

Lou nor Catherine had time to argue with Nick as he rushed out of Catherine's office again. She was about to ask Lou why his response was such a jackass comment, but he'd already grabbed his cellphone to make a call. Without even looking at her, he left her office. Lou knew he'd been a dick to her. Catherine'd told him a secret she hated to share, felt insecure and embarrassed about, and all he could think about was her not being honest with him. He knew it wasn't fair. But that event, along with her owning a part of a hotel, was something he wished she'd told him. There wasn't a single thing that could actually have an impact on their relationship that he had hid from Catherine, and it hurt him that she did.

Catherine, on the other hand, was hurt. She understood Lou's yearning for commitment, but she didn't felt like commitment included knowing every single details about the other's life. Was it really going to cause such issues between them?

* * *

She took a deep breath before she walked into Lou's office. Catherine didn't want to argue with him, and she just hoped he could come to terms with what she'd told him. "Hi." When Lou turned around though, he didn't seem to excited to see her. He turned his eyes back to his computer screen as he answered: "Hi. Case closed?" "Yeah…" Hesitation creped over her when she saw him being so distant. Her strength was more powerful though as she walked over to his desk and touched his shoulder. His flinching almost made her wince, but she said instead: "I know you're upset because you think I'm not being honest with you. But.. I just don't think couples need to tell each other everything." Lou knew she was going t say that, and it didn't make him happy at all. "So who gets to draw that line? You own a piece of a casino, that's a big thing to keep from me." "But Lou," Catherine started as she sat down on his desk in front of him, "that's business, that has nothing to do with us."

It stung him. It hurt him to know that she separated every single thing she possibly could separate in their romance. Business was business and had nothing to do with them. Except for the fact that it did affect them. "Well, that says a lot." "I've had all the complicated relationships I can handle, this is who I am, please don't try to change me, I promise I won't try to change you." "So what… Take it or leave it?" "Call me when you decide." She walked away after that, hoping he would call out her name within seconds and tell her he just loved her. That it wasn't necessary for them to share everything, as long as they were together. But he didn't. Catherine watched him as he tried to continue his work, but she could tell he was just as upset with her as she was with him.

* * *

Lou couldn't stop stirring in his bed that night. Catherine hadn't used her key that evening and hadn't walked in to talk. He knew she wanted him to call her. Why was he being stubborn? He wish she would just tell him that she would try to tell him more than just things that involved them romantically. Lou wanted to know about what her father had given her business wise, and what had happened in her past. It hadn't scared him when he found out about her drug addiction, or Eddie's abuse. Nothing in the world would get him to leave Catherine. Unless she wouldn't be honest with him.

A few miles further, Catherine was watching a sad movie to convince herself that was the reason tears were falling down her face every now and then. Lou's responses hadn't been at all what she'd wanted them to be. She wanted to trust him. She knew he was a better man then Eddie and all other men she'd ever loved combined. But what if he still wasn't the man she was supposed to grow old with? Was there even a man that could live with her for the rest of his life?


	28. Targets of Obsession

****_Note: Hi guys... Remember this story? I'm almost running away to hide in shame 'cause I can't even remember the last time I updated this story. I'm so sorry. I finally, FINALLY, decided I should start writing again for this and this came out. My version of Targets of Obsession. I just finished writing this, so I'm sorry for any mistakes, I just got too excited over it again and wanted to publish it, like, now. I hope it won't dissapoint anyone of you and that there are still some people interested in this story! Enjoy guys! X._

**28. Targets of Obsession. **

Lou sighed when he spotted Catherine not too far away from him, talking with the bomb squad man in Nick's garden through her walkie talkie while standing next to Nick. He knew he had to walk up to her; they had to do their jobs. But man, she looked good. Sunglasses on, hand on her hip…. They hadn't spoken in private for weeks now, only occasionally on cases and it killed him. Especially since he knew the main reason for that was he. He shook the thoughts off of him, trying to be a professional as he walked over to Catherine and Nick.

"They came to my house, that kid has my private number, I'll tell you what, they're looking for a fight, they found one. I'm not afraid to die let's see if they are." Nick was full of rage, which wasn't strange. Catherine was trying to calm her friend down a bit. "Nick, come on…"

He interrupted her though. "I'm serious!" Nick's fists were still clinched as Catherine replied:  
"I know you're serious! Just calm down, come on… Did you see anything?"

Nick sighed. "I don't know… There was a van with an extended cab on the roof you know, I didn't think of it…"

Lou watched Catherine and Nick exchange their words. He could tell she was worried about him and it suited her. She wasn't just his boss; she was Nick's friend too. He knew this was the moment for him to step in on the case. "The neighbor's saw that same van, it's gone."

Catherine looked next to her, as if she hadn't noticed Lou until then. She was glad she had her sunglasses on because the look in her eyes would've told him everything he needed to know without words. She missed him. But apparently he didn't… He hadn't called her after all.

* * *

It was obvious to both Catherine and Lou that they were working on this case together now. He was needed next to her in the field, and it was the first time since their last conversation as a couple. Lou wanted to talk to her before going out for their case again though, and was surprised to find her in the locker room when he went there to grab something out of his locker.

"Cath… Hey!"

She turned around but she already knew it was Lou standing behind her. "Hey."

"How is Nick holding up?"

"He's okay… I'm just upset that this is happening to him again, he's been through enough you know. Hope this thing gets solved soon. You're on it with me for the rest of this case right?"

"Yeah, I'm here with you…"

"Okay…" Catherine nodded, looking at Lou, not sure what else to say. She missed him. Working with him on cases was a lot harder then she thought it was. She missed their secret smiles, the looks they exchanged and the way he would stand a little too close to her just so they could touch briefly.

"I think we should talk, Cath… I'm sorry I didn't call. I know we have to continue this case but… Can you… Well, do you want to go grab some coffee when we're down with this case? So we can talk…."

Catherine looked in his eyes, knowing she was going to say yes anyway. She wasn't going to let him go that easily though. "You've been really lousy, you know."

He was quite surprised with Catherine's response and shrugged as he replied: " Obviously…"

She couldn't help but smile. "Let's do the coffee thing. We have to leave now though, lots of things to do. We'll do the talking later."

They stood in front of each other quite awkwardly until Lou said: "Am I pushing if I ask you for a hug right now?"

Catherine chuckled. "Maybe… But I'd like that too."

The brief contact they shared allowed them to finally feel a bit closer again. The warmth of the other made them both sigh in content before they let go again.

***  
"Oh crap…"

All four knew what was happening and all stood up in the same time as they walked around in the room, Lou in front of the group and bomb squad guy Kip in the back, flashlights on as they looked around the lot.

What they found shocked them as Nick said: "That can't be good."

"You think?" Catherine stood in front of it too. A bomb. A freakin' bomb, surrounded by tiny green lines that would let the bomb go off if anything would touch them. The bomb counted seventeen short minutes.

"What is it with you, you're some kind of a bomb magnet?"

Nick shrugged, knowing that was directed to him as Kip immediately thought of a plan. They weren't supposed to die in there. "Okay guys let's get out of here, retrace your steps…"

Everyone turned, following their own ways step by step. Catherine's flashlight found something though. It made her shiver and as she said: "Hang on," she knew the situation they were in was wrong. Very, very wrong. "What is that, looks like something with a sensor."

Kip kneeled down beside her and felt bad for indeed giving bad news. "Yeah…." He grabbed some sand before stepping forward as he said: "You're not gonna like this.." He blew some sand in front of him, revealing another tiny green line. Their way out was blocked. "One door in, one door out. We're not going anywhere."

Catherine and Lou exchanged glances and Lou could tell Catherine was upset. A million thoughts were running through her head, Lindsey being the main one. But she wasn't planning on letting it show too much.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that they found out there was a camera in the lot, filming every step they took. "He's been ahead of us all the time."

"Yeah."

Catherine wasn't going to give the guy the pleasure though. "Well, if they wanna play with lasers, I'll give 'em lasers." She pulled one of her tools out of her pockets and pointed it into the direction of the camera, causing it to break down. "Alright guys, how we do this?"

"Well," Kip said, "we can't go through the beams so maybe we'll go over them."

Catherine looked at Lou as Kip spoke those words, not hearing a word he or Nick said. She was afraid. Afraid that she was currently spending the last fourteen minutes of her life trying to disarm a bomb. She wished she and Lou had made amendments before coming here. At least she would've died being at peace with him then.

The guys started walking around, apparently looking for something as she suddenly heard a few loud bangs and groans coming from her left. From Lou. "Lou!" Her instincts told her to run over to him. Which was what she did.

"No!" Kip made his way over to her and held her back in panic as he said: "You don't want to be next. Goes for you too Stokes," sensing that Nick was making his way over to Lou as well. Kip looked for a bit before slowly making his way over to Lou, who was on the ground in pain. He kneeled down, noticing the bullets in the wood as he said something about nine millimeter bullets. Catherine just kneeled however, hearing his words but not saving them as she looked to the wood and to Lou on top of it. She knew she was supposed to stay calm but she felt like freaking out. When Kip told her she was able to make her way around Lou to be with him however, she immediately got up and did as he had told her.

She put his hand on his shoulder as she kneeled down as he said: "It's bad, isn't it?" Catherine put her hands next to his wound and examined it, as she ruined his pants to have better sight of the wound that was bleeding like crazy. "It may have hit an artery.. Can you apply some pressure?" Lou nodded in pain and she grabbed a tiny towel as she said: "It's gonna hurt." She pushed on his wound with it, causing Lou to fall back in pain. "Sorry."

In another situation, she would've probably laughed. Nothing to laugh about now though. Lou said: "I hate it when you're right." His comment almost made her smile though. He definitely did hate it when she was right. Or pretending to be right.

Kip took a quick look at the bomb before saying: "If you guys want to get out of here we better start stacking."

"Alright you guys go for it, I'm going to stay with Lou." Nick looked at her, nodding, knowing there was more going on between them, as Kip said: "Be careful what you pick up."

Catherine kept her hands steady on Lou's wound as his hands slid on top of hers every now and then. Lou was in a lot of pain. "Cath… It really hurts."

She nodded, wanting to touch his face but knowing she couldn't get her hands away and said: "I know baby, I'm sorry... I.. I wish this hadn't happened. I'm sorry you're on this case with us."

Lou managed to let out a small chuckle, followed by a groan out of pain as he said: "I wish we both weren't here, Cath. But I'm glad…" He paused for a second to get his breath steady before he continued. "I'm glad we're here together."

She gave him a small smile as she said: "Me too." Both knew that if they could've, they would've let their lips meet after those words.

They were silent for a while and Lou's pain was getting worse within seconds. The pressure they had been applying wasn't working anymore; the towel was soaked with blood. "Lie down honey." Lou's back touched the ground as Catherine held one of her bloody hands in his while her other was in his hair as she said: "Hey, stay with me, we're going to get you out of here, we're all going to get out of her." She didn't sound too convinced though.

* * *

It was black at first and his eyelids felt heavy. He did feel something warm on his hand though. He opened his eyes. They closed again. And then they opened again, facing icy blue eyes immediately as he heard a voice. "Welcome back. The doctor's patched you up, you're gonna be okay… But Kip didn't make it."

Catherine. She was there. A moan came out of his mouth in response as the events earlier started playing through his head. "Did we get him?"

"We will." His comment made Catherine smile. All broken and bruised, yet the first thing Lou wanted to hear was if they'd been able to catch Jason. So typical. She brushed her thumb over his hand.

"Thanks… For being here." The words Lou uttered were causing him pain but he was glad he got them out of his mouth. He was indeed happy she was there. Extremely happy.

"Where else would I be?" She smiled before continuing. "You get some rest. I'll be back."

"Okay." She got up and the warmth he'd been feeling left, leaving him on his own. He wasn't missing her for too long though as he eyelids closed again, dreaming of the woman that had been by his side seconds ago.

The next time Lou opened his eyes, he had perfect vision of Catherine's ass. Absolutely perfect. She was putting some flowers in a white vase next to his bed, and he'd opened his eyes the moment she'd been bending. Nice way to wake up. "Cath…"

She spun around immediately, a smile on her face, as she said: "Hey, you're awake again."

"Yeah. Come here."

She sat down beside him, her hands finding his immediately as she said: "How are you feeling?"

"Okay… Pain doesn't seem to awful."

"You can thank the painkillers for that." She chuckled as he, in pain, brought up his hand to touch the scratch on her face as he said: "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head. "Nah. Just looking ugly."

"You can never be ugly, Cath."

She smiled at his words and softly said: "I'm so glad you're going to be fine."

He nodded. "Me too… Are you… Are you going to stay?"

"I'll be here as long as you want me to."

Lou smiled and said: "But you need to sleep too, don't you?"

"Don't worry about me."

"I always do."

They were silent for a bit until Lou said: "Lie down. Here."

He pointed to the hospital bed, positive Catherine would fit perfectly fine next to him. Even in his state he was aware their issues were far from solved. But things would be perfectly fine, he was very sure about that. Catherine seemed to be in doubt for a while. But being close to the man she loved was so much more important to her then thinking of their arguments. That was why she nodded and carefully lied down next to him, her head on his chest and their hands never letting go of each other. Lou's lips briefly touched her head before both dozed off to sleep. It was Nick who found them a few hours later in the exact same position, sleeping like babies.

_Note: Liked it, hated it? Please let me know how you feel about it. And, if you're interested, I'd love to hear from you guys how far y'all would like me to take this. I'm not sure if I want to stop somewhere soon or actually make it through until the last appearance of Catherine. I just... I was so unsatisfied with the way Catherine and Lou were in season 12, I'm not sure if I would write anything good from that. On the other hand, it's a perfect opportunity to re-write those lousy last things. Please let me know your thoughts, I would appreciate it very very much! XX._


	29. The List

****_Note: Hi guys! Thanks for those who reviewed the last chapter, I'm glad people are still enjoying this story :). Those of you who read Newport's Crime too are lucky tonight, two updates in a row haha ;-). Next up is The List. I hope you guys like it. XX._

**29. The List**

Catherine's shift was almost done when she spotted Lou near the break room , talking to a female detective she hadn't seen before. It made her a little jealous though, but she knew she shouldn't. Her and Lou's relationship wasn't even worth to name a relationship these days as they barely spend any time together. His wounds from the shooting were slowly healing, and so was their relationship. They'd been sleeping together a lot, but the talking however didn't go so well. They did talk… But not about the problems they were having.

When Lou spotted Catherine he apparently said something dismissive to the woman next to him, who walked away pretty fast afterwards as Lou walked into Catherine's direction. "Hey. You're almost done for the night?"

Lou shook his head. "No, Ecklie's being a pain, gave me something else to work on. You?"

Catherine smiled. "Yeah, I'm done. Just needed to finish up some stuff with Nick before I go. You're coming over when you're done?"

She wished Lou would nod with a smile, as if it was the most normal thing to do, but instead, he shrugged. "I'm not sure when we'll be finished, but if we're in time I guess I will. You get some rest, okay?" Catherine nodded and their eyes connected for a while until both knew they should walk on, knowing they couldn't kiss goodbye or even touch in the way they wanted to. Having a relationship with a co-worker was tougher then Catherine had imagined. Not only because they couldn't act the way they wanted around each other, but also because it applied a lot more pressure to their possible relationship then she wanted.

* * *

Catherine was filling in some forms when she heard Nick's southern voice behind her, which made her smile. She'd been quite cranky since Lou hadn't been showing up the evening before, and hadn't even send her message. But Nick could always make her smile.

"Hey Catherine, you've got a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Mind if I shut your door for a second?"

Catherine eyed Nick in curiosity, wondering what was so interesting that would need that amount of privacy. "Alright… Wind up's got me curious."

"Well, I found a little something in Vance's cell thought I'd give you a heads up. He was putting together a case for a new trial and apparently, his wife was sleeping around before and after they said I do."  
Catherine interrupted him, not sure where he was heading. "Look I knew Anne-Marie, she wasn't doing anything the guys in the department weren't doing."

"Yeah cause they were all doing it with her."

"Yeah and probably getting added a word for it. Double standard."

Nick ended their discussion, knowing this wasn't really going anywhere as he said: "The point is, he put together a list of bad fellas. I don't know where this list came from or why it didn't come up in his trial but listen, it reads like a who is who of Southern Nevada law enforcement."

Catherine raised her eyebrows: "Anybody we know?" Catherine knew Anne-Marie slept around a lot, with co-workers as well. She'd never known which men exactly though, and her curiosity got the best of her.

"Ecklie's on it."

A chuckle escaped from Catherine's mouth. "Really? Well, good for him."

"Brass too."

Catherine smiled, thinking of Jim back in the day. It actually didn't surprise her that he was on that list. "Well, Jim used to be a player back in the day, kinda had that Jersey, Jack Nicholson thing.. Who else?"

"Let's see here.. Atwater, Bastillo, Brackett, Brooks, Cavalleri, I'm only up to the c's, you want me to keep going?" Nick replied with a smile.

"Eh, let me guess, Vega, McKeen, for sure, right?" Nick nodded, knowing he had to break some news to her that she probably didn't like. He knew he had to since it was important for their case. "Vartann is on here as well, sorry I'm the one breaking that to you."

Catherine's eyebrows raised again slightly. Was she really surprised he was on that list? Lou was handsome. Anne-Marie had been a beautiful woman. But still. She didn't like it too much that he'd slept with that woman too. Especially because that meant he was a suspect now too. But she wasn't going to tell Nick that. She shook her head and said: "Ancient history."

Nick could tell she was upset, but he decided to let that pass for a second and said: "According to Vance's notes he is convinced that Anne-Marie's real murderer, is a cop on this list." He handed her the notes which Catherine started reading, surprised about the huge amount of names on the list. "Half these guys worked on Anne-Marie's murder..."

"Yeah, I know the file. Brass was the lead for the LVPD and Vartann was his second.."

A cynical smile escaped from Catherine's mouth when she heard Vartann's name again. "Why didn't those guys recuse themselves…" Catherine knew she was perhaps a bit unfair. She'd worked Warrick's case too, or even Adam Novak's back in the day. She hadn't recuse herself from those either. But that somehow felt different.

Nick shook his head, not knowing what to say. Catherine handed him the book as she said: "Book the evidence, make me copies.. I'll take care of the notifications. Oh boy.. This hits the van it's gonna come back on all of us.."

The two looked at each other for a bit before Catherine said: "Okay, let's move. We should start this thing, it's not going to be fun.."

Nick nodded before saying: "Cath… If you want me to go to Vartann, that's fine with me. I can tell you're upset about this."

Catherine shrugged. "I'll be fine… I know I shouldn't be upset about this but it's just.. I don't know. I didn't expect him to have been with someone else from the department, I guess."

"You know... I think Lou really loves you. I can imagine this isn't nice to hear, but like you said... It's ancient history. You've got nothing to worry about, Cath."

Nick's reassuring smile along his comment made Catherine smile too as she walked up to him and gave him a hug. "Thanks, Nicky.. I appreciate you saying that. A lot."

* * *

Catherine was waiting in the diner for Lou where they had decided to meet, not sure if calling him there had been a good idea. She hadn't spoken to him for a few days and she knew he wasn't going to be happy about what she was going to ask him. She felt like she should though. Seeing him walk in made her smile as she waved to him. He really was everything she wanted. She just wished that what she wanted was what was best for her too; that was something Catherine still wasn't very sure about. Lou slid in the booth as she said: "How's the leg?"

"It's better." Lou looked around the diner before saying: "This is new.. Seeing you outside of the office, middle of the day… Clothes on." Lou couldn't resist making that comment. It had been long since they'd been together outside the house or the office. She was still gorgeous though, clothes on or off.

Catherine smiled. "Well I thought that maybe you and I should have a cup of coffee."

Lou wasn't quite sure where Catherine was heading and it made him kind of scared. Was she done with him? With them? He knew what was going on between them wasn't sailing smooth lately, but he was hoping things would get better as the time was passing. But maybe he'd been wrong now that she was aware of him sleeping with Anne-Marie, though he wouldn't know why exactly that would've been a bad thing considering it was all in the past. "Okay.." He signaled the waitress and said: "Excuse me," making a sign that indicated he'd like some coffee too. He smiled before saying: "You know, I met Anne-Marie at the academy, and yes.. We had some good times during the years.. It's all over the department about the list, I guess I'm on it, and this is my unofficial heads up?"

"Lou.. You had a relationship with a murder victim and you worked her case.. And you didn't think you should've recused yourself?"

"Oh.. So this is more of an official heads up.." Lou wasn't too happy about that. The situation got a lot more tense now that he realized Catherine was talking to him as his co-worker, and not as his girlfriend. Catherine noticed that too.

"Vance claimed that there was a rest of judgment, that you guys didn't even look passed him for the real killer." Catherine knew she was pushing the button with Lou, but she wanted him to tell her everything, not just what he thought she should hear.

"You guys? What, are you saying that I didn't do my job 'cause I had a thing with Anne-Marie? When Warrick was murdered, did you recuse yourself? Did your team recuse themselves? Hell, Nick nearly pulled a bullet through sheriff McKeen.. But then again that's Nick."

Lou knew he had made a wrong comment with Warrick getting involved in her argument, as Catherine spoke in a loud voice: "You're sure that Vance was good for it?"

"Yeah, I'm sure! Look, he threatened Anne-Marie more than once, in front of other cops. His words; if you ever try to leave me I'll kill you."

Catherine thought that was a lousy reason to prove Vance was the killer. Eddie'd told her he'd kill her too more than once during their fights; that had never happened either. "Guys say a lot of things, what was your evidence?"

"Come on, really, you want me to run it?"

"I do."

"Okay. The county never found Anne-Marie's body but they did find her car. Vance torched it but Ecklie's team still found blood. And I also found Vance his bloody clothes and a bloody kitchen knife from their kitchen in the dumpster of the 1-60. And we found a matchbook which we tied to the arson of the car. It was a good case."

"Maybe too good."

Lou was getting pissed. Not only was she doubting him, but also his capability of doing his job. She knew him. Or at least he thought she did. If she did, she should know he would never work on a case if he wouldn't be able to do so. "Okay I never heard you say that in any of the cases you've closed."

"I'm just saying that a cop that's smart enough to disappear his wife's body should be smart enough to disappear the evidence." Catherine and Lou both knew she had a point there. They both knew as well that Lou would never accuse someone of something if he hadn't some serious evidence.

Lou was done with it. Catherine apparently doubted him about everything he'd done during Anne-Marie's case and he didn't understand why. "This.. You know what, if this inquisition is over, I got work to do. Thank you."

Catherine let him get up, watching him with a hint of sadness as h walked away, telling the waitress to "Never mind the coffee." She didn't like it that he left her like this. While calling Greg and instructing him, she thought of the things she'd just said to Lou. Maybe she'd been a little too tough on him?

* * *

Catherine stood in front of Lou's office, doubting whether to get in or not. He'd arrested Anne-Marie about two hours ago, after walking in on her and Ray. He'd said she only needed one guy to depend on. He didn't seem to be too upset anymore at that point. Catherine wished Ray hadn't been in her office at that moment. Perhaps she and Lou could've cleared the air a little bit then. Lou hadn't come to see her afterwards anymore though, nor had she heard from him. Perhaps that meant he was done with her. She rather had him tell her that in her face though.

She knocked in his door and walked in after she'd heard him say yes. Lou looked up and found Catherine in front of him, what didn't really surprise him. "Hey."

"Hey…. So, Anne-Marie's behind bars?"

Lou nodded and got up too, closing the door Catherine had left open as he said: "Yeah. She's still being questioned, but I didn't really felt like staying. Can't believe this… Faking your own death."

Catherine shrugged. "Smart woman..."

"Not smart enough."

The couple smiled and Lou stood in front of his door, while Catherine sat down on his desk. "Lou… I'm sorry for being so harsh on you in that diner… I wish.. Well, I don't know what I wish… I should've talked to you as your girlfriend, not as a CSI. Not sure I'm still your girlfriend though but, well, I just wanted to tell you that."

The softness in her face made Lou smile. "I appreciate that. I'm not mad at you… I just had hoped that you wouldn't doubt me and my abilities."

"I don't. I just was being, I don't know… I guess I was afraid of letting my feelings interfere with the case. Maybe I should've recused myself."

Lou chuckled and walked close to her, putting his hands on her thighs as he said: "We all learn new things, maybe you weren't at your best in that diner but I wasn't very nice either… I still want to be the one guy you're depending on though."

Catherine smiled. "Ah. So that was a little hint earlier?"

"You'll never know…"

Their eyes locked and Catherine said: "We still have some things we should talk about though… Because I really do want to see you more outside of the office. And I don't mean just seeing you naked in my bed, or yours. I…. I want us to be a couple just like any other couple out there. Which probably seems weird since every couple is different.. But you know what I mean, right? And I know I was the one being difficult and that I didn't want to move in with you… But I do love you.. And I do want to make this work as much as it can."

Lou was surprised with the words coming out of Catherine's mouth. She had indeed been the one holding them back for a while, and after the incident in the diner, he'd thought that perhaps they weren't capable of being more than just friends who'd like to share their bed every once in a while. He was lucky he'd been wrong. "I'm glad you say that… I think we should do that too."

Catherine smiled. "Good."

They were just standing there for a while, Lou's hands on her thighs as she was sitting on his desk while her hands were on his. Catherine then said: "I know we're in the office… But I really, really want to kiss you."

Lou chuckled before planting his lips on hers without a word. Their tongues met in an instant as Lou moved himself closer to Catherine, both hoping that things would finally work out the way they wanted it to.

_Note: That's it for now. Sorry if there are any mistakes in the dialogue, I don't have the dvd's here and some things were just really hard to hear haha! I hope you guys liked it, please let me know! XX._


	30. Brain Doe

_Note: Hi there! The inspiration's flowing these days, luckily for you guys, haha ;-). The end's coming closer and closer though... Please enjoy this one, I really hope you guys like it! X._**  
**

**30. Brain Doe**

Lou felt a pair of hands around his waist and a nose nuzzling in his neck before he heard Catherine's voice. "Good morning."

"Hey. Woke up from the smell of food and coffee?"

"Hmm, and because I missed you."

Lou chuckled before moving his hands away from the stove and leaning over to kiss Catherine. She smiled as she kissed him back before walking over to the coffee machine, making both of them a cup before she sat down at the kitchen table, waiting for Lou to finish up the yummy smelling pancakes he'd been making. Her eyes were mainly focused on the man making those pancakes though. She'd been perfectly happy for a few weeks now, a feeling she hadn't felt for years. Things had been great in the past few months. They had been talking so much, both ending up telling the other the exact same thing; I love you and I want to make things work. So far, the making things work part had been great. The only thing that was nagging in the back of her head was Ecklie. Most of the team was aware of the relationship between her and Lou. And everybody was keeping it quiet. Ecklie was the only one who could potentially cause them any troubles if he'd find out. Then again; they weren't doing anything wrong. Her thoughts were interrupted when Lou sat down on the chair next to her, a plate of pancakes in front of both of them. His hands kneed her thigh for a few seconds as he said: "I can't describe how gorgeous you're looking right now."

Catherine chuckled. She thought she looked everything but gorgeous in her short, black nightgown, ruffled hair and pale face. "Well, thank you. You're looking pretty handsome yourself too."

He looked at her for a moment with a lopsided grin, perfectly happy with the state they were in at that moment until he said: "So… I hope you like those pancakes."

* * *

"They need a fulltime staffer, expert in the field.. I recommended you. I hope you're good with that."

Catherine's eyes focused on the woman in front of her with shock. "Wow.. I.. I don't know what to say."

"Do you really want to be processing used condoms and dirty panties the rest of your career?" The dark-haired woman smiled at her, and Catherine smiled back. Of course she wanted more. She'd always wanted more. The demotion hadn't been her own choice, but considering the circumstances, she understood them perfectly fine.

"Go to D.C…. Pays good, the hours are great. You get to travel. Sometimes you have to move out to move up. If you're interested, don't take too long." Catherine accepted the business cart she got handed and said: "Thank you Sherry.… I appreciate the confidence."

"It's not easy for us. Not in law enforcement. It's a man's world."

Catherine watched the woman walk away. Another job. Another job in Washington. That was interesting. She sighed and closed her eyes briefly. Leaving Vegas. A new start, far away from the city of sins, her father's casino that she half owned and so many bad memories. But there were many good memories in Vegas too. And Lou was there.

"Hey."

Being on a case with Lou suddenly wasn't so much fun that day. The offer of Sherry was had been stuck in her head ever since that morning. She was seriously considering it. The biggest thing that kept her in Vegas though was the man that was now walking next to her. "Hi Lou."

"You okay?" His hands lightly touched her arm before she replied: "Why's everybody keep asking me that?" She regretted the snap as soon as the words had left her mouth. She was glad Lou didn't bite though. He did rais his eyebrows, making a mental note to himself saying he'd come back on that later and said: "Okay,' before moving on to talk about their case.

* * *

The knocks on her door made Catherine look up and interrupt the work she'd just been doing. Lou's appearance caused a smile on her face as he said: "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Just finishing up my report… Close the door, will you?"

He did as she asked, and when he turned to her again, she stood in front of him, placing her hands on both of his cheeks before kissing his lips, pressing herself against him as she let their lips contact for a few seconds. When she let go, Lou held on to her as he said: "Well, that was a nice hello. Are you okay?"

Both of each other let go of their embraces as Catherine said: "Why do you all keep asking me that? Do I look bad or something?"

"No." Lou kissed her cheek briefly before he said: "There's just something about you. And don't tell me there's not 'cause then you're lying… What's going on with you?"

Catherine sighed and said: "There is something I have to talk to you about… I just.. Well, maybe we should do this at home instead. This isn't the place…"

Lou pulled her closer again and said: "Is there something wrong with you? Or us?"

She smiled and looked at him. "No. I'm fine, you and I are perfectly fine… Come over to my place in an hour? You're done then?"

He nodded. "Yeah, just finishing up some last stuff. I'll be there."

Catherine expected him to leave, but he didn't. Instead, he started nuzzling her neck before placing his lips there. Catherine gave in immediately, protesting lightly in between her small moans as she said: "Lou… We're at work."

He paused and said: "I know. I locked your door,' before placing his lips roughly on hers. His hands disappeared under her shirt as hers rested in his neck, ruffling the short hairs on the back of his head while their kiss deepened. Lou pushed Catherine into the direction of her desk until she hit it with her legs, positioning herself on it before wrapping her legs around Lou's body, pulling him closer to her again as their mouths never let go of each other. Lou was about to start working on getting off Catherine's top when his cellphone started beeping. They broke their kiss as Lou rested his head against Catherine's before saying: "I think I have to take this one."

Catherine nodded with a smile. "I know. That's okay. I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

Lou nodded before giving her a last kiss and walking away from her. Catherine looked after him with a smile that started disappearing slowly. He was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Was their relationship enough for her to stay in Vegas? She knew, deep in her heart, that he was. But why was something inside of her then telling her to take that job which was so many miles away?

* * *

"Hey!"

Catherine kissed him before she let him in, loving the fact that he was still wearing his suite. She loved him in it. Lou, on the other hand, was happy to see Catherine in her sweatpants and tank top with her hair in a ponytail. He loved it when she looked like that. "Hey. Love your outfit."

Catherine chuckled as she walked to her kitchen, grabbing some tea and a sandwich before walking back to the living room, where Lou was waiting for her on the couch. He smiled as she said down next to him and said: "I made you some food, figured you might be hungry. Just leave it if you're not."

"No, it's great, I appreciate it, thank you."

He took his first bite before saying: "So… What do you need to talk to me about?"

Sadness washed over Catherine's face before she said: "It's… I hope you don't get mad with me for even considering this… But… I got a job offer today. A really good job offer, actually. But it's in Washington….. And I'm not so sure what to do."

Lou was surprised. Surprised that she was actually so worried about telling him that, but also about her considering the job. He knew she wanted to move up; he was glad she wanted to, meaning she was still ambitious. "Okay… Well, I can understand. Especially if it's good. So tell me… Why are you doubting, why are you considering it…"

He could tell she was slightly shocked as she said: "You… You're not mad at me?"

Lou chuckled. "For what? For considering a job? I would hate it if you left, Catherine… But you're telling me now. You got that job offer a few hours ago… I really appreciate it that you want to discuss it with me."

Her eyes lit up, so happy that he was not totally freaking out. She scooted over closer to Lou as he put his plate on the table, rather having her in his lap then the plate. Her head rested on his lap as he stroke her hair. "So… Talk to me, Cath."

"I just… When Sherry came to me this morning, I figured I was going to say no. Why would I want to leave Vegas? I've got my family here, Nicky, Greg, Sara…. They're my friends. And D.B and Morgan… Everyone in the lab. I've been working with some of them for so long. I know how things work. I've got so many memories in that lab and in Vegas, from when Linds was young too…. Those things make me wanna stay. On the other hand, change is good. Plus, I'm not getting any younger… This is probably one of the last big promotions I could make. The thing is … You're here. And we're doing so good right now… I don't want to lose you. I love you more than I've ever, ever loved a man. I can't just let go of that…. Let go of us."

Her pouring his heart out to him made him feel good. It was a sign. A sign that their relationship was doing good. That she trusted him. He felt Catherine's eyes on him and he leaned down to kiss her before he said: "You know.. I understand. Both sides. I… I don't want you to stay here for me, if that job's what you really want. You should take your time, consider the pros, the cons… And if you want my opinion on it, I'm happy to give you that. But it has to be your decision whether you take that job or not. We can think of what's going to happen with us after that."  
Catherine eyed him, adoring his kind words, yet not sure how he could stay so calm. "You're pretty confident things will be okay, aren't you?"

Lou looked down on her and couldn't help but smile at the angelic looking woman on his lap. She was beautiful. "I'm sure things will work out, for everything. You'll be fine with that job or the job you're working now… And we'll be fine regardless of what will happen in that situation."

Catherine lifted herself up so she was on the same level as him again and said: "Promise?"

"I promise."

* * *

When Catherine woke up a few hours later, she expected to be entangled in Lou's arms. That was far from the truth though. When she touched the spot next to her where he was supposed to be, it felt cold. He had been gone for a while now, apparently. She slowly threw the covers off of her and walked down the hallway, wondering where he was. Catherine was relieved when she heard his quiet voice downstairs, but when she started walking down the steps, she froze. The words he spoke sounded far from the promise he'd been making her a few hours ago.

"I know that…. Yes, she is…. I love her, she loves me…. No, I told her it was her decision, I'm not going to hold her back if she wants this…. Yeah, of course I want her to stay. Washington, Las Vegas, that's what, a little more than 800 miles? We can't drive that distance every week… I just don't want to let her go, but it's far. Very far…"

Catherine wanted to hear more. She knew she shouldn't though. She quietly walked back to the bed, facing the wall instead of the door, her eyes wide open. Lou wasn't as laid back as he'd been pretending to be. She was glad knowing that he didn't plan on letting her go. What did scare her though where the last words she'd heard. 800 miles. Too far away from each other. Too far to make things work?

Lou entered the room again twenty minutes later, trying to make as less noise as possible. He'd been downstairs for almost two hours, calling his best friend. He'd been stirring all night and had been awake, thinking about the things Catherine had told him. He'd responded calm. He wasn't that calm inside though. Having Catherine so far away from him was the most awful thing he could imagine. He hated to admit it, but a longs distance relationship wasn't exactly what he was looking for. He let out a loud sigh before sliding next to Catherine's body, moving her body closer to him so he could feel her warmth. He loved the woman next to him.

Catherine was still awake when he moved her closer to him. She was glad to have him so close. He did love her, she knew he did. But the words he'd been speaking were stuck in her mind and spinning around like crazy.

_**Note: And I figured it was a perfect ending right there.. For this chapter that is. Please let me know what you think of it, all words are very much appreciated! XX.**_


	31. Crime after Crime

_Note: Hi guys! 2 more episodes until Catherine's gone… Crazy, isn't it? I never intended on writing this story and actually ending it since I always hoped Marg would stay on CSI, so this story could go on and on, but unfortunately, the ending's almost there. Perhaps I'm gonna do, like, a sequel or something after Catherine's departure, not sure about that though… Anyway, that's stuff for later, haha! Another thing: I reached the 100 reviews! Ha, honestly, that is so awesome! I never ever expected so many people to review and I appreciate it so much. Thanks a lot, I can't tell you enough how much it means to me. Please enjoy this chapter, I hope you like it. _

**31. Crime after Crime**

"Hey honey, you're leaving any time soon?" Lou's head popped up behind Catherine as she was applying some mascara and looking intensively into the mirror. He chuckled while watching her doing something that seemed utterly stupid to him.

"Don't laugh." She gave him a glare before continuing what she did a little longer, until she finally replied: "I have to get to the lab in a few minutes. You're starting too?"

"Yeah, Jim just called, needed me to come to a scene immediately. I can drop you off if you'd like though."

His genuine smile made a smile appear on Catherine's face too as she put her stuff away before walking up to him. "That's sweet." She kissed his lips lightly before she said: "But I think it's better for us to go with our own cars. In case either one of us needs to pull a double."

"You're probably right… I should go then."

Lou didn't make an effort in stepping away though and Catherine chuckled. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again before she said: "Well, leave then."

"Yeah, yeah… One more kiss?"

His hands rested on her butt as he leant in again to kiss her.

* * *

"Hey." Catherine knocked on the door briefly before walking in.

"Hey, you're late." Lou smiled as the redhead walked in with two damping cups of coffee.

"Sorry, it's hectic. Let's continue though. The faster we do this, the more time we have to do something else."

Lou chuckled after her comment, knowing she was aware of the fact that they were in a room everyone could see. "Yeah. So…"

She put the cup of coffee in front of him as he started to speak. "Someone beat Kevin Fetzer's face in, with an arcade ball. Some justice in that."

Catherine grabbed some files and put them next to them. "I read the case file of the original arcade ball murder, Mikey Muran. Just a document ring." She sat down next to him and couldn't help eyeing him while he said: "Yeah, that was one of the first murders I ever worked. A scene like that… Your memory gets plenty of miles on its own. We found the body behind the arcade. The weapon was right there.. And for my money, so was the killer. That Fetzer kid struck me strange the instant I saw him. He was hanging around the scene, and then he leaves for an hour, comes back carrying two little shoes.."

A look of disgust appeared on Catherine's face. "Mikey's?"

"He said that he'd found them ditched a half block away, just happened to be looking over there." Lou didn't seem to buy the story, neither did Catherine. "But there was no physical evidence found that connected Kevin Fetzer to the crime?"

"Well we did find a pubic hair of a little boy, blonde like Fetzer, but DNA testing was new and.. We didn't get a result."

"And it wasn't re-tested with improved technology?"

"The sample was consumed on the first test, that was my call… I was new on the job, I went all in and I crapped down. That was the first time I learned the job isn't fair you know, you can have the killer stand right in front of you, know that he did it and… It feels like your cuffs are on your own wrists." Lou looked upset after those words, and it cut through Catherine's heart like a knife.

"We've all been there, Lou."

They shared a look, and Catherine really wanted to grab his hands and hug him, or even kiss him. He looked upset and it definitely looked as if he still felt like having those cuffs on his own wrists.

* * *

"Hey, wait up!" Lou heard Catherine's voice and the clicking of her heels as he was on his way to the bathroom, trying to fresh up a little before continuing his case. This murder was getting to him and it bothered him. On top of that, he still had Catherine to think about. Or well, the job offer she'd been given recently. They hadn't discussed it anymore besides the time she'd told him about it, and Lou hoped it had washed away, disappeared from her mind. He knew better than that though.

He turned around when she was close to him and said: "Hey.." He wanted to continue talking, but Catherine looked around before pushing him into the bathroom, not caring she was then residing in the men's room.

Lou chuckled. "What are you doing?"

She didn't reply and instead went after his lips, capturing them with her own. Their kiss wasn't tender or sweet. It was rough, their mouths hungry for more as Lou backed her up against the door, not even questioning why she did what she'd done. He was just glad she had. His hands were about to take off her shirt as her hands were occupied with undoing his belt when Lou realized they were in a public bathroom. At work, that was. He broke their kiss, staring at a panting Catherine with swollen lips and red cheeks for a bit until he said: "You know.. I'd love to continue this… But we're at work."

"I know…" She nodded, yet didn't let go of him. He smiled as he laid his hand on her cheek, caressing it slightly as he said: "You look so beautiful."

"Thank you… You're not too bad yourself, either."

He chuckled as he removed his hands from Catherine's body, immediately missing her warmth. "Thanks, Cath."

"For what?" She shrugged, taking a quick look into the mirror to adjust her hair and reapply some lipstick as he said: "You know for what."

Catherine walked back to him and smiled, perfectly aware of what he was thanking her for. She gave him a peck on his cheek. "You're welcome."

They met again the night out on a parking lot, slightly away from the other officers of the scene. Catherine showed him a photo of a man he knew too well. "Richards… He retired a year back."

"You worked with him much?"

"No, I used to drink with him. A bunch of us did, a bar called the Blue Rail. Richard's used to buy rounds and listen to us bitch about the job. If you got a case that was really bothering you, you could talk him about it… He had a way of putting things into perspective. It'd make you feel better." The description actually brought back some good memories to Lou's mind. It had been good days back then.

"Did you talk to him about the Mikey Muran case? About Kevin Fetzer?" Catherine's eyes pierced right through him as she waited for his answer.

"It's twenty years ago… I might have."

"Did you talk to him recently?"

"Not since I stopped drinking, so eleven years, seven months and fourteen days." He handed her back the photograph as she said: "Well we've been trying to reach him… His address and number on the file are no good…"

Lou knew what she wanted from him, but he nevertheless shrugged. He wasn't sure if telling Catherine something more would bring Richard in trouble. "Like I said you know, it's been years."

She seemed to look right through him though as she kept his eyes on him, knowing he would eventually speak up. He sighed. "Okay, last I heard there were still a few guys who tip in back with Richards."

"Who?"

Catherine knew she was pushing. Lou was a good detective, but also a good friend. She knew pushing him to tell her more and help her would mean him ratting out on some people. She knew he would do a lot for her, but she knew she was asking him quite a lot right now.

* * *

Catherine was glad when she heard her front door unlock. It was almost eight in the morning, and Lou had been finished working a few hours before. She hadn't seen him though. She had been afraid he was upset with her for pushing him, for giving her information that had eventually broken the case. In a good way for the department, yes, but perhaps not that great for him.

She got out of bed and walked downstairs when he hadn't come upstairs twenty minutes later. She saw the lights burning in her kitchen and felt a slight amount of shock when she found Lou sitting there, her back face him and a glass in front of him which had obviously some alcohol in it.

"That isn't water, is it?"

He turned around and found her, his eyelids heavy and an allover tired look on his face.  
"I.. I just needed to smell it. To… I don't even know to do what, actually."

"It's okay…" She grabbed the drink and threw the liquid away in the sink before sitting on the chair next to him, moving it closer so she could rest her hands on his legs as she said: "I'm sorry for putting you in such a lousy situation."

"No, don't be. It was good you did. It was just… Tough. And on top of that, there's you, perhaps moving away to Washington for a job or perhaps not… You haven't said a thing about it anymore."

Her eyes rested on his as she felt a knot appearing in her stomach. They had indeed not discussed that anymore. She'd been scared after hearing him talk on his phone, and she'd decided to no really discuss it until she'd made up her own mind. That was bothering him though, and she did appreciate that somehow.

"I… Well, I…"

"You what? Didn't feel like discussing it anymore?" His comment sounded slightly offending but he did grab her hands, pulling her towards him until she stood up and did what he wanted her to. She sat down in his lap, his head resting on her shoulder as his arms were wrapped around her.

"Lou… You're not going to like this… It's just that… I was glad when we'd discussed it at first, you sounded optimistic and I needed that. But… Well, that same night, I woke up and missed you in bed. When I walked downstairs I heard you on the phone. I promise I walked away quickly, but I couldn't help but overhear some things. I just… It scared me. You sounded upset and, well, pessimistic instead. I can't blame you for that. I just… I don't know, I just figured I should let it rest for a while."

Lou moved her so he could face her. He looked at her for a bit; he hadn't been prepared for those words coming out of her mouth. He let one hand fall off of hers as he scratched his neck before saying: "Okay but… Why didn't you say something? You could've asked me about it instead of ignoring it."

"I know, I know…"  
Catherine stared off into space as Lou looked at her. He suddenly wasn't so sure anymore of how he felt about the entire situation. He was surprised when he heard Catherine say: "So, talk to me now.."

Lou shrugged. "What do you want me to say? You already expect me to say things just because of what you think and of what you've heard. You're putting words into my mouth without even letting me speak. You should trust me…"

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

Lou's hands flew in the air and Catherine got up, missing his warmth immediately, but didn't give in to temptation. "This! You're upset and you say exactly what you know you need to say to start fighting with me. This whole trusting thing… Please, we've gone over that a billion times."

"Then why don't you act on the things you say? How is our relationship supposed to even be one if there's still a lack of trust?" Lou was getting fed up. Yes, she'd told him she loved him and yes, she'd told him she trust. She still did, but she never acted as if she did.

"Lou, come on, you're overreacting…" Catherine wish she'd never brought the subject up, feeling how tense Lou had become and, even worse, how harsh the look on his face now was.

"Maybe….. But I really don't like what is going on right now… I think I should go."

He got up and found a dumbfounded Catherine, who looked at him in with a shocked look on her face. "You can't be serious?"

He rubbed his face. "I'm tired, Cath, I just want to get some rest and think about this."

"Lou, we're just having an argument… You're not going to go home every single time we have an argument, do you?"

Lou looked at the redheaded woman in front of him, who didn't only look upset, but also angry. He walked up to her and touched her cheek lightly as he said: "I'll just go home tonight, I'll call you okay?"

"Lou, come on…"

"I think it's just better for tonight." He kept looking at her for a while before he let go of her and walked away without another word, leaving a stunned Catherine behind.

She hoped he would return a bit later, or just sent her a message. He didn't though. Catherine couldn't catch any sleep. She saw the clock moving forward, not getting any sleep knowing her alarm clock would go off only an hour later.

_Note: So, the ending of this chapter is kind of the beginning of the episode "Zippered", you know, the one where we see Catherine in her bed, not able to sleep, appearing a couple of hours early on work… The episode in which agent McQuaid shows up… Just for your information, hahaha ;-)! I'm still doubting to either do the last episode Lou appears in immediately, or do something I haven't done before and add Zippered as an extra, even though we don't see Vartann in it. What do you guys think? xxx _


	32. Zippered

****_Note: So, I decided to go with the idea of putting in Zippered as an extra episode. Hope you'll like it! X. _

**32. Zippered**

Catherine had decided to get out of bed early. She hadn't been able to catch any sleep at all and she felt useless. Instead of feeling useless in bed, she figured feeling useless at work would feel a lot better. She eventually didn't even have to feel useless as a case came in soon. The case was interesting enough to take her mind off things though. That was until she spotted Lou standing in Ecklie's office, the door wide open. She stopped, watching Lou as he was talking to the other man. When he started to turn around, Catherine walked away.

Lou did see her. He would recognized the strawberry blonde hair everywhere. He hadn't called her or texted her after he'd left her speechless at her own please. He wasn't sure why he was having such a difficult time with what she'd told him. A tiny little voice inside his head was telling him he was being unfair.

He instinctively followed her, ending up to find her with Hodges and Morgan, her back facing him. He was watching her as D.B Russell rushed pass him and yelled to them: "Extended family meeting now."

He looked at Morgan, who raised her eyebrows as he heard her said: "What did he mean by extended?"

Both Hodges and Catherine frowned and Lou felt a tingle go through his body as he heard Catherine say: "I guess we should go and find that out."

Catherine let the two younger co-workers walk out first before she walked out, following them. Her eyes caught something to her right though, and she was surprised to find Lou's eyes rest on hers. She couldn't help the frown that formed on her face as she greeted him. "Hey."

"Hey." Lou wanted to continue talking, but Catherine beat him as she said: "I need to go…" Catherine looked at Lou as she spoke those words, hoping he would tell her to find him later.

He didn't. He just nodded, and Catherine hoped he hadn't seen the hurt look on her face as she walked away. He had though. Lou knew he was hurting Catherine by what he was doing and he knew he had to go talk to her some time soon.

* * *

Catherine walked next to the FBI agent. He wasn't too bad. Or at least he didn't seem that bad. She couldn't deny saying: "Your boss is.. Kinda young." His answer surprised her.

"He's not my boss. He's my replacement. I'm training him until I decamp the Las Vegas office."

"On to bigger and better things?" Catherine knew she perhaps wasn't even talking about him; she was also talking about herself. And the offer Sherry had made her not too long ago.

McQuaid shrugged. "Not better… More important I suppose. More dangerous."

"More dangerous, really, where?" Catherine wasn't sure a place more dangerous than Vegas existed. On several levels.

The look of disbelief on Catherine's face made McQuaid smile as he remembered the words the older man had spoken before in the office. "Your boss, he said you were him before he was, what's that about?"

Catherine knew it was none of his business, and that, technically, she could just tell him to either shut up or tell him that they should continue the case. She felt comfortable next to the guy though, even though she definitely didn't feel like talking about the why's of her demotion. "The technical term is demotion."

McQuaid eyed the woman next to him briefly. Besides wondering why she was demoted, he was also aware of the fact that the woman was very beautiful. And very attractive. "Good girl goes bad.. So what, you just buying your time 'til you rise to that top spot again?"

"Not sure I want it anymore."

"What do you want?"

The eyes of the two investigators locked briefly, and for a split second, Catherine felt a feeling of excitement run through her belly. It made her feel odd and even a tiny bit guilty towards Lou. She decided it was time to head back to their case instead of their personal lives. She broke the eye contact as she said: "Right now? I want more blood drops…"

* * *

Lou resisted the urge to walk over and grab Catherine's hand to pull her away. She was standing a little too close to another man, whom he'd heard was an FBI guy. They were talking in the break room as Catherine was grabbing them both coffee. Lou was jealous. Catherine was probably just having an innocent talk with the man, probably about the case.

Yet Lou didn't like it for one bit. Catherine looked to gorgeous, despite the small circles under her eyes that showed him she hadn't been sleeping well. He knew he was the cause. He knew he should walk away and call or text her later on, but he wanted to talk to her now. She was the woman he loved… He didn't like thinking in a possessive way, but he did want her to be his woman. Only his woman.

He entered the break room, a small tingle going through his body as he heard Catherine chuckle. He scraped his throat, what caused the other two people in the room to turn around and he said: "Cath…. Can we talk? In private?"

McQauid understood the hint the man in front of him gave him perfectly fine and said: "I'll go find D.B., see if they've got something for us."

"Yeah, I'll call you."

McQuaid nodded and gave the detective a polite nod before walking away, wondering what was going on.

Lou waited until the man was away before turning to Catherine. "Catherine… I think we should talk."

"Really?" Catherine was not amused. She knew the only reason he came over to talk to her now, was because he was jealous. She wanted to make a scene about that. But at least he was now trying to talk to her, something she was happy about.

"Well… Yeah…" His hand ruffled his hair and Catherine said: "Well, you speak. I'll see if I want to reply afterwards."

Typically Catherine. Her hand was in her side as she was watching him, ready for whatever he wanted to tell her.

"Cath, I'm sorry for yesterday. I just…. It bothers me, knowing you're uncomfortable sharing things with me, and it makes me wonder if it's gonna happen more often."

Those weren't the words Catherine hoped he would say to her and she looked at him, thinking of how to answer that. "Lou…" They got interrupted when McQuaid poked his head around the corner and said: "Catherine, we've got a lead, we have to go. Sorry detective."

Catherine nodded before moving her attention back to Lou. "Lou.. I have to go."

"So I've heard."

"Let's meet for breakfast? In the diner, you know which one I mean right?"

Lou nodded, not happy to see her leave without finishing their conversation. He was surprised when Catherine briefly touched his arm before making her way out of the room, her perfume still lingering in the room.

Breakfast hadn't happened and Catherine was upset. Not because of that breakfast –since she'd been the one who had to cancel due to some kind of maniac shooting at her and McQuaid while they were stuck inside a van,- but because Lou hadn't replied. Oh, well, he'd said '_okay_'. Okay to her apology and her question of him meeting her later at her house. When she'd text him back to ask him what time he wanted to come, he hadn't answered. When she called, he hadn't picked up his phone. Then her friend Laura had been at her place. She'd hoped to find an answer of Lou on her phone after the time she'd spend with her friend, but still no reply.

Catherine wondered what to do. Should she go and find Lou at his apartment? His comment had been stuck inside her head ever since he'd said it to her. Why was he still doubting her? She thought she'd given him plenty of reassurance in the last couple of months and it bothered her that he still didn't feel that way. How much more was she supposed to give?

When the doorbell rang, Catherine felt a rush of relief run through her veins. Lou was there. He just hadn't been answering, but he was here now. She opened the door, but soon met with the face of agent McQuaid instead of Lou. Someone she hadn't planned on seeing and someone she actually wasn't so excited about seeing either. She couldn't suppress an surprised "Oh."

"Did you guys have a.. Good conversation?" The man stood in front of her with a grin on his face and his arrogance bothered her.

"How long have you been standing outside my house?"

"Not important."

Catherine rolled her eyes and wanted to throw the door into his face but he was too quick. He threw his hand against the door, preventing it from closing as he said: "Just listen, the thing is.. I'm here. My foot in the door, my hand in, a bottle in the other.. It's beer, it's Belgian, you know, guns aren't the only good thing they make…."

McQuaid could tell Catherine was far from impressed with his rambling and decided to cut to the chase. "I'd like to apologize. About the whole… I blindsided you and.."

"It sucked." She wasn't gonna let him get away with it that easily and stayed put next to the door, not planning on letting him in.

"Yeah, it sucked. But it's the job."

"I have a job too." She still wasn't buying his so-called apology and waited, not too impressed with the man.

"And you did it kinda perfectly. It got the guns back, got away of vultures and garbage bags, and what not…"

"By what not you mean saving your ass?" She raised an eyebrow and looked at him, knowing she probably wasn't being that nice to him. She didn't care though. Besides missing Lou, she was tired and his apology thus far hadn't been very convincing.

"I do."

She decided to let him in –the man was practically inside now anyway, wondering what else he was going to say.

"But the thing is," McQuaid said as he put the bottle of beer on her table, "I had to cut a deal with Weston. And I would do it again."

"This isn't much of an apology…" Catherine was ready to kick the man out of her house again as he said: "If I did it again, I would tell you beforehand. You deserve that."

"At least that."

He walked closer to her as he said: "Maybe more…" He touched her neck and moved his hand to her cheek, enjoying the contact he was making with the beautiful woman in front of him.

Catherine leant in and couldn't help but smile. It felt good. Their quick moment was interrupted as their phones beeped. McQuaid looked slightly annoyed, and perhaps she did too. They both grabbed their phones and answered. "Willows." "McQuaid."

"Okay. I'll be right there."

"I'm on my way."

They hung up their phones at the same time, giving each other another look as McQuaid said: "I guess we should leave… You're an incredible woman, Catherine Willows."

She looked at him and bit her lip, not sure what to say. McQuaid seemed to be aware of her sudden uncomfortable feeling and tried to get rid of the tension as he said: "Okay. Let's go. You keep the beer."

Catherine grabbed her purse and her jacket before letting McQuaid out first and locking her door. He walked over to his car as he said: "I'll see you at the station, Catherine."

"Yeah, we'll meet there." She opened the door of her car as McQuaid drove away, sitting down before throwing her head against the head of the seat. What had just happened? She was flirting with McQuaid. Or actually, he'd been flirting and she'd flirted back. She knew she would've kissed him if he had wanted to. Why? She tried to clear her head, knowing she had to do her job. But this was stupid. She missed Lou and she tried to make up for it through flirting with someone else. God, she felt stupid. She grabbed her cellphone and dialed Lou's number as she drove away. He again didn't reply though.

* * *

Catherine didn't notice the car on the other side of the road, in which a man was sitting she knew very well. Lou had been planning on visiting Catherine. He knew he should've answered his phone but he hadn't been feeling like it, and figured he'd just come by. He'd been planning on getting out of his car when Catherine's front door had opened, and the FBI agent he'd recognize from the department had stepped out, Catherine following not long afterwards. What had the guy been doing in her home? Jealousy'd been creeping over him, and even though Lou was trying to act cool, he was upset. He wasn't sure why he constantly doubted Catherine's loyalty towards him. He did feel though that she gave him plenty of reasons to do so. Like inviting an FBI guy over whom she'd met only hours before.

Lou took off, deciding not to call Catherine at all. He was sure she'd call him eventually or drop bye in his office. Or perhaps he would. The FBI guy kept nagging him though. Why the hell had he been inside Catherine's house?

_Note: The end's almost there... How did you guys feel about this? X._


	33. Ms Willows Regrets

_Note: Hi guys! Before you guys start reading, I just want to tell you that I was really, really hard to write this chapter. It's hard to sort of re-write and add parts in this episode and the next, there are so many things happening in the episodes, it's impossible to add everything in. I hope I didn't dissapoint anyone of you when I say that I kind of kept the case out of it. Not completely of course, but, well, most of it. Just let me know if you guys like that or rather have me put in a lot more on the case in the next chapter. That said, please enjoy this, I hope you will like it! X**  
**_

**32. Ms. Willows Regrets**

Catherine raised her eyebrow as she read the file she was holding, knowing she and her colleagues wouldn't be able to solve the crime they were currently involved in. Catherine knew she probably needed a hand from people up higher; probably the FBI. She wasn't sure if she liked that. Her and McQuaid hadn't been in touch since he'd left -thank God,- but unfortunately, neither had she and Lou.

He had texted her almost a week later, asked her out for coffee. They'd talked for a bit. She remembered perfectly the words she and Lou had said.

_"I know I need to trust you. It's just… Difficult sometimes. You're letting strange men into your home…"_

_"Excuse me?" She'd looked at him, her eyes big and dark as he'd replied: "The FBI guy… He left your house when I wanted to visit you last week…"_

_"So you just assume I'm sleeping with the guy? Jesus, Lou… If you're having, I don't know, let's say, Sofia, over, I'm not thinking you're sharing your bed with her… This is just stupid."_

_"I know, but I can't help it… You just.. I don't know… You shouldn't give me a reason to doubt you."_

_"And you need to trust me, Lou."_

They had somewhat ended their argument later, stating they should just give it a try again. She'd started drifting away from Lou though and she wasn't sure what they currently were. It seemed to be a circle; things would be great, things would get weird, things would get awkward, things would get better, things would be great… The getting better part though wasn't coming anymore. Catherine felt as if perhaps she and Lou just weren't meant to be. They were great in bringing out the words in each other and she knew it hurt both of them. She didn't want that anymore.

On top of that, came the job offer. The worse her relationship with Lou was going, the more Sherry's offer felt reasonable and perfect. Perhaps she needed something new. She wasn't at all paying attention to the things around her, causing her to collide with something. Or rather, someone.

"Cath… You should watch where you're going."

Her eyes met with Lou's greyish-green pair as she said: "Yeah… Sorry. I was distracted."

"I could tell."

Lou's hands were still loosely holding Catherine's arms as he said: "So… You want to grab lunch together?"

Catherine shrugged, not taking her eyes off of his as she said: "I'm not sure if I have time… I'll let you know if I do, okay?"

He nodded as he let go of her, watching her as she walked away. Things were supposed to be right between them. But he felt something was wrong, something that was slowly causing them to drift further and further away from each other.

* * *

McQuaid being back in her department wasn't a good thing. Not only was she distracted by the man's presence, she knew it would upset Lou when he found out. On top of that, were the issues her friend Laura was having with her husband, in which Catherine was now completely absorbed. She wanted to help her friend so bad, yet had so many things on her mind. Protecting her friend should have her priorities now, but in the back of her head, so many other things were playing.

She was absorbed in thoughts and didn't notice the figure in front of her office, watching her as she was completely absorbed in her thoughts. He decided to talk anyway as Catherine was clearly not noticing him at all, and probably wouldn't do so anytime soon. "Catherine… I really did mean what I said."

The voice did bring her back to reality as she saw agent McQuaid in front of her, a small smile gracing his face after he'd spoken the words. She looked at him. She knew perfectly fine what he meant. She didn't care though. "What did you say?"

A small chuckle escaped from McQuaid's lips. "The part of really wanting to call you."

Catherine looked at the man for a bit, looking at every single detail of the man's appearance. He was attractive. If she hadn't sort of been with Lou, if she had never met Lou… Perhaps she would've been giving in again. But that wasn't her situation anymore. Even if she wanted to, Catherine knew she wouldn't be able to start anything with the agent in front of her. She smiled as she said: "Yeah… Remember that I said it was probably for the best? I meant that too."

* * *

Catherine could smell the fire before she saw it. She was scared of what she was going to see. She almost didn't notice Lou walking up to her and D.B saying: "Sorry guys, the FBI's got this one."

"What happened?" Catherine's throat was dry and she was glad D.B said something as she looked over the scene, no sight of Laura. Or agent McQuaid.

"The evidence on the ground suggest an ambush, so that the lead car and the FBI guys never saw it coming."

Catherine panicked. "And the car with Laura Gabriel, and agent McQuaid?"

"He tried to evade the shooters, the driver was hit first, and then Laura and McQuaid, and then he torched the car." Lou's words cut through Catherine like a knife and she fell silent. Lou wanted to help her. Hug her. Let her do whatever she wanted to. Yet D.B prevented him from doing so.

"Any witnesses?"

"No. But I found these," Lou said, holding up two bullets.

"Haven't seen those before."

Catherine ignored the two men talking as she made her way over to the car. This couldn't be true. Her friend, dead. Agent McQuaid, dead. She loathed the smell of the burned car, the burned bodies… But she had to take a look inside, take a look at the two black bodies in the back of the car. They were burnt. She wanted to cry, she wanted to yell… And when she noticed agent Pratt, she figured that yelling was exactly what she was going to do. She interrupted D.B's talk with the younger agent as she yelled: "How could you let this happen?"

"CSI Willows, please.."

"How could you allow an assassin to infiltrate your protection team which got four agents and my friend killed?"

"This is not the time…"

"Catherine, let them do their job." D.B tried to talk some sense into his obviously upset co-worker, but Catherine didn't give in. "It's a little late for that.. This should be our crime scene, you should be on the phone getting everybody down there, all hands on deck."

"Hey hey hey, listen," D.B shushed as he grabbed her arm softly, blocking her sight on agent Pratt, "I know how you're feeling right now, believe me, and I'm gonna give you some advice someone gave me once. Walk away. Right now."

"Walk away?" Catherine wanted to continue her rant, but D.B didn't let her. "Go to your office, leave your notes on my desk and then go home."

"Just like that.."

"Yeah, just like that."

Catherine looked into D.B's eyes and she knew he wasn't going to let her stay, nor let her work on the case. And maybe he was right. She walked away, making her way over to her car as she heard D.B say: "Don't let her drive herself."

She stopped walking, waiting for whoever was following her, when she found a familiar hand on her shoulder. "Sit on the other side, Catherine… I'll take you home."

Catherine didn't say a word to Lou, but did as he said. Lou hated seeing Catherine as upset as she was. He'd already noticed it the minute she'd walked on the crime scene. The tears in her eyes right now hurt him too.

* * *

"Catherine… Can I… Can I do something?"

"No.. Just don't talk, please. Just drive."

Lou could hear Catherine sniff every now and then, but he respected the words she'd told him. No talking. No nothing. Their silent ride ended in front of Catherine's house. He stopped the engine, not sure what to do. He felt like helping her but he wasn't sure he even could. He wasn't her boyfriend anymore… Well, he didn't seem to be. He nevertheless touched her, happy she didn't flinch at the contact, getting her attention again and he said: "Do you want me to come in?"

"It's probably not a good idea." Catherine hated saying those words. She didn't want him to console her again. She didn't want to argue with him anymore. She didn't want to hurt herself anymore. And, perhaps even more important, she didn't want to hurt him anymore.

"Well if you need anything, call me. Okay?"

Catherine managed to smile, saying "Thanks," before she got out of the car. This was hard. This was harder then things were supposed to be. Before walking away, she leant in the window of her car, looking at Lou as she said: "You deserve more, Lou."

She walked away, looking over her shoulder a last time to wave at Lou, who didn't wave back. He was hurt. Was this Catherine's way of ending their relationship? Telling him he deserved more? Lou didn't want more; he wasn't sure there was anything more. There wasn't anything better, there wasn't anything more beautiful than Catherine. He drove away, hoping those words weren't their last interaction on a personal note. There were so many other words left to say.

Once Catherine was inside, she grabbed the mail that lay on her doormat, pretending it was more interesting than Lou, as she took her gun off of its holster to put it away. She looked through the mail, realizing she didn't even care. Her day had been shit. She threw her purse away as she stared to the pool, thinking about a while ago, when she and Lou had been swimming there. She already missed him.

The sudden breaking glass scared the hell out of her and when she realized it had been a bullet, the rest of the glass shattered into millions of pieces. She ducked to the floor, trying to get hold of her gun again, not even having the time to figure out what the hell was happening.

* * *

D.B knew there was something wrong. That email in his mailbox couldn't possibly be Catherine's. He doubted that she'd been home already, besides; she would've talked to him first, wouldn't she? D.B knew there was probably a reasonable explanation for the mail, yet he felt the urge to go ask her about it. Instinctively, he grabbed his keys, driving to Catherine's place as fast as he could.

When he turned around the corner, speeding way too fast, he noticed a woman in front of his car. It was Catherine. And she looked… Slightly bewildered, pointing her gun at him. Yes, there was definitely something wrong. He rolled down the window and yelled: "Get in!"

She started running, and D.B knew there was something serious. "Hurry up, come on, come on!"

Catherine flung the door open of the backseat, and when she was about to close it, shots started firing again. D.B heard Catherine growl in the backseat as he drove away as fast as he could, glass shattering form the bullets hitting the car. When they were out of the fire, he looked behind him, finding Catherine on her stomach, panting. "You okay?"

"I'll live." Or at least that was what Catherine hoped. She pulled up her shirt, trying to find the source of the pain in her side. She already knew what it was though. She was hit. A bullit hit her. Thousands of thoughts were running through her head while D.B kept driving. What the hell had just happened?

_Note: That's it for now... Please let me know how you feel about it :) ! xx._


	34. Willows in the Wind

**_Note: Hi folks! So... This is it. The final chapter of 'At First Sight.' I hope you all will enjoy it. X. _  
**

**33. Willows in the Wind**

Catherine knew sleeping on the couch in her office wasn't the greatest thing to do. She needed some rest though. The wound in her side was still hurting like hell and the events of the previous hours were playing in her head. McQuaid. Dirty. Laura. Dirtier. Catherine felt betrayed. Perhaps all of it had been a sign. A sign to say yes to the offer of working with the FBI in Quantico.

Her eyes were about to fall down when she heard a knock on her door. She squirmed slightly, not looking up as she said: "Come in."

She didn't even bother opening her eyes, knowing it was probably D.B or Nicky; they would understand. "Are you okay?"

The low voice that was heard while the door was being closed though, was definitely not from one of those two guys. She opened her eyes and found Lou next to her, a concerned look washed over his face. Catherine tried to sit up in a swift move, which didn't exactly work out as she grunted in pain, causing Lou to scoot over. He gently lifted her head up a little bit before sitting down and returning her head in his lap.

Catherine knew this wasn't something they should do, considering the words she'd told him not too long ago. His hands caressing her hair though felt great, comforting. Lou, on the other hand, was just happy to find her safe, in her office. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. Bit sore, but fine."

Lou could tell where the bullet had been and slowly let his finger trace the bandage. If only he had taken her home that night instead. "I… I've been thinking about that even a lot, Catherine."

He looked down and their eyes locked as she whispered: "So have I."

He expected her to speak again, but she didn't. She just watched him, wondering what was on his mind. "Cath… There isn't something more than you. I want to be with you. I… I love you and I want to make us work."

"Aren't you just saying that because you could've lost me?"

"No. I say that because it's the truth, no matter how jealous I'm being. I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry for hurting you. I love you. Please… I'm sure we can make us work."

"Lou…" She looked away as she said: "Help me sit up.. Please." Lou lifted her head before slowly moving his arms under hers so he could pull her up.

Her face told him she was not about to curl up against him or hug him and tell things would be fine. She looked at him, not sure if what she was about to say would be the worst thing she'd ever done. "Listen, Lou… I… That job offer, in Quantico… I think I'm gonna take it."

Okay. That definitely was unexpected. "Oh.."

"I'm not doing this to get away from you, Lou. Not at all." Catherine rubbed her temples slightly, feeling a headache coming up. "I… What I said, the other day… I meant it. I don't think I can be who you want me to be.. And I don't want you to change in order to like the way I am right now. We've had an amazing time together… And I wish it could've last. But if I move away… I don't want you to be stuck with a woman who isn't even there."

Stuck with Catherine? How could she even think that was actually something negative? He loved her. Lou was aware of the critiques he had given her during their relationship. Those didn't make him love her less though. Her leaving though did upset him. Being that far away from her was indeed making things very difficult. He was about to tell her that he didn't even care about distance if she lived on the other side of the world, when a knock on the door made Catherine look away, breaking their contact, before D.B. walked in.

"Oh, Vartann, hi. Catherine, Ecklie wants to see you now for a few minutes, nothing bad I assume. You didn't reply to his messages."

"Yeah, sorry, I was busy… Still am, actually."

D.B. looked at the two adults on the couch, and briefly, he wondered why exactly that detective was sitting right there right now. For all he knew, the two hadn't been together for a while now. Then again, he wasn't too interested in lab-gossip. He shrugged. "Sorry, you gotta continue that later on. See you later, Vartann."

As he walked away, Lou interrupted Catherine as he could tell she was about to apologize. "It's fine, Cath. Go see him. But we're not done talking about this, no discussion possible… I have a lot of other things to say."

* * *

"Hey."

Catherine was surprised when Nick stroke down next to her on a bench outside, close to the PD. "Hey Nicky."

He looked at her for a bit, noticing she looked tired. "You're okay?"

Catherine shrugged, not really replying. Nick grabbed her hand and made her look at him as he said: "Cath… You're gonna do great in Quantico. It's something new. And I know you'll never have such a great time as you have here… But you'll be fine. And that job suits you, Cath, you'll do great."

She smiled. She was going to miss Nick so much. "Thanks Nicky, that's so sweet. It's just hard to leave all of this behind."

"Hmm." Nick was aware something was wrong besides her being sad for leaving –something that was completely normal. "And that all includes Vartann as well?"

"Right on the spot…"

"I thought you guys were done?"

An ironic chuckle escaped from Catherine's mouth. "Yeah, well… We were never really done. And I thought that things should just be done between us. We look at things so differently…. This job came around, I was hesitant at first…. But everything just seemed to point me into the direction of taking that job, so I did. I told Lou yesterday I was thinking about taking it… He wasn't happy about it, but I did say yes. And he still doesn't know. I… I just think that things between us should be done, not because I want to.. But I think it's the right thing, for both of us. But this is hard… I still love him."

Catherine's flow of words entered Nick's mind, noticing he hadn't seen Catherine as upset as this probably since Eddie had died. Of course, she'd been under a lot of stress lately and on top of that had been the gunshot. But detective Vartann was most definitely playing part in it as well and Nick wasn't planning on letting one of his best friends leave Las Vegas while finally being in love with a good man.

* * *

"I sat in here a very long time ago… Talked about how solving a case made you feel like King Kong on cocaïne. But just like any drug, it's got a darker side, and the rush is fleeding… Just like love."

Morgan looked sad as Catherine spoke those words, not knowing that part of love was indeed more on Catherine's mind than solving cases. Catherine was happy to talk to the younger woman. Morgan was beautiful, inside and outside, and Catherine knew she would make a perfect CSI.

"This is the only thing I'm good at.."

"Hang on to that. But not so tight that you'll let the rest slip away. I know your dad would tell you the same thing."

The woman's words affected Morgan as she nodded. Morgan admired Catherine. And if she was honest to herself, she knew she'd loved the woman the instant she'd met her. She was about to reply when her pager went off. She felt slightly awkward considering their talk when she said: "Back to work."

Catherine grabbed the bill as she said: "Go ahead, I've got this one."

Morgan slid her hand over Catherine's as she smiled. "I've got the next one."

"You got it."

Catherine watched the younger woman walk away, waiting until she was completely out of sight before sighing and continuing her trail of thoughts. Morgan reminded her of herself. Eager to learn, passionate, excited… She encouraged her to stay that way. But Catherine just hoped Morgan wouldn't make the same mistakes as she had made. Perhaps she would've indeed been with a man she loved. Vartann, in particular.

She sighed when she thought of him. She hadn't yet called him, not sure how to handle a goodbye. Perhaps leaving was just better. Catherine waved over the waitress to let her take the dollar bills she'd put next to the bill and was about to leave when she heard someone say: "Leaving so soon?"

She was startled when she found Lou standing next to her boot, not even allowing her to get up as he slid into it next to her. "Lou… Hi… How did you… Who told you I was here?"

Lou didn't take his eyes off hers as he replied: "Little birdy told me you were leaving. Tomorrow. He figured telling me was a good idea and frankly, I agree."

A soft smile curled Catherine's lips. "Nicky, huh.."

Lou didn't reply. He grabbed her hand as he said: "Why didn't you tell me you're leaving tomorrow? I told you I wanted to see you…"

She sighed. "I know… I just…. I figured it would hurt less this way."

"Hurt less?" Lou started at her with disbelief. "Jesus, Catherine…"

Catherine looked at him, so eager to just not think and kiss his lips, yet unable to move. She had to go. Without him.

"Catherine, listen to me… I'm gonna say this over and over again until you believe me and agree with me… I love you. You love me. Yes, I'm jealous. But I'm not gonna let my jealousy keep me away from you. At least not unless you truly want it. And I don't believe you if you tell me you do. I can see it in your eyes."

He dared to cup her cheek with his eyes, spotting the tears that were forming in her eyes. She bit her lip as she quietly said: "I'm leaving, Lou… You can't be committed to someone who lives that far away."

"You're more important than a couple of miles to travel, Catherine. I'd drive up and down every moment I can if you want me to."

He moved his hand to her hair, tucking a strand of escaped, strawberry blonde her behind her ear.

"I can't make you do that, Lou…. You've got a job, friends…"

"Would you want me to?"

He cupped her cheeks again as he made her stare into his eyes, knowing he would be able to clearly read her true feelings.

Catherine's head was spinning. She loved the man. Her head was telling her she should let go, leave him behind as a good memory and forget. Her heart told her she would never be able to do so though. She adored him. She slowly nodded, again biting her lip before she said: "I love you."

Lou smiled back. "I love you too. Let's go pack up your things at your place. I'll help you pack, we can talk some more. We'll be fine, Catherine." She nodded before he gently kissed her lips, thrilled to know she was willing to take the chance.

He offered her his hand as he got up, pulling her up before walking to their cars, not letting go of her hand. They reached his car when Catherine stopped him. Lou looked at her, his nerves playing up, afraid she was trying to get back on her earlier decision. "What?"

A small smile appeared on her face as she grabbed his tie, pulling him closer to her as she said: "I think you should wait getting into that car?"

"And why is that?" His hands sneaked around her hips.

"There's something I'd like to do before we start driving?"

"Oeh…. Tell me."

Catherine shook her head. "Nah. I think I'll just show you."

She didn't wait for his reply as she kissed him pushing herself into him as he pressed back immediately, pushing her against his car. A loud moan escaped her lips when Lou's mouth moved to her neck. "God, I've missed you."

Lou took a break from his attack of her neck. "I've missed you too."

Lou's lips collided with hers again, both ecstatic to be close again. They knew they had a rocky road ahead of them. But both were willing to take risk and try their hardest to make things work. They loved each other, from the very first day they had met. And, after all, love at first sight wasn't able to just fleet away.

_The end. _

_Note: So, this was it. I can't believe this story came to an end. I hope you guys enjoyed it, I sure did writing it, and I'm actually kind of sad it's done. Let me know how you feel about this last chapter and the road to it :). And, just to perhaps give you some information you'll like; a sequel is definitely coming up! Thanks for reading! X._


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